Documentation

Photographs and film of the fire and its aftermath

Images and video of the printing works before and after the June 2023 fire, forming part of the project documentation.

Photographs

Footage filmed as the blaze took hold of the printing works in June 2023, as staff, parishioners and neighbours arrived to help.

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Fire engulfs the printing works
Flames break through the roof of the printing press hall as staff and neighbours look on, June 2023.
The fire seen from the mission road
The length of the burning building, with people running towards it to help.
Emergency response at the scene
Thick smoke rises above the mission as a vehicle and volunteers reach the burning press.
Flames at the roofline
A closer view of the blaze tearing through the roof and windows of the press.

Footage recorded at the printing works after the fire, documenting the destroyed hall, machinery and roof.

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Bishop Kimbeni at the burnt-out press
Bishop Jean Crispin Kimbeni Ki Kanda stands with diocesan staff inside the gutted shell of the printing works, where the roof and floor were destroyed by the June 2023 fire.
Inside the destroyed production hall
A walk through the blackened production hall: charred walls, ash on the floor and the remains of doors and window frames.
Ash and debris in the workshop
Further footage of the interior, showing burnt roofing sheets and debris covering what was the composition and binding area.
Inspecting the damaged façade
Diocesan representatives examine the collapsed roofing and scorched façade of the printing press building.
Assessing the structure
A closer assessment of the standing walls and openings that survived the fire, recorded during the damage survey.

Meetings at the bishopric and first-hand accounts of what the loss of the press means for the diocese.

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The Bishop receives a visiting delegation
Bishop Kimbeni welcomes a delegation at the bishopric to discuss the reconstruction of the printing press.
Working session at the bishopric
Members of the diocesan team and visitors in session, reviewing the needs of the press and the plan for rebuilding.
Testimony from the mission
A member of the diocesan staff describes the loss of the press and what its return would mean for the community.
A parishioner speaks about the press
A parishioner recalls the role the printing works played in schools, parishes and local businesses around Kisantu.
Testimony from a member of staff
A member of the printing press team describes the loss inside the diocesan offices.
Testimony on the mission grounds
A diocesan worker speaks about what the press meant for schools, parishes and local trade.
The community gathers after the fire
Parishioners and neighbours assemble on the mission grounds in the days following the fire.
Meeting with the bishop and delegation
Bishop Jean Crispin Kimbeni Ki Kanda receives visitors at the bishopric to discuss the rebuild.

The compound and grounds that surround the printing works.

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Entrance to the Centre Bamalu
The gate of the Centre Bamalu at the Kisantu mission, the diocesan compound that hosts the printing works.
The mission grounds
The gardens and buildings of the Kisantu mission surrounding the printing press site.
Along the mission veranda
Walking the veranda of the diocesan buildings adjoining the press, still in daily use by the community.
Salvaged printing machinery
A surviving press unit sheeted over and moved for assessment after the fire.