AFRONAUTS - Circus Zambia & Wake The Beast.
Theatre/Circus/Festival 🏆Gold Festival Award EFFTA 🏆IC Future Generation Award

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AFRONAUTS — Circus Zambia & Wake The Beast

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Based on true events, the double award winning, acclaimed Zambian circus-theatre spectacular

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AFRONAUTS is the acclaimed circus-theatre production from Circus Zambia and Wake The Beast, written and directed by Gift Chansa and Adam McGuigan.

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Inspired by the extraordinary true story of Edward Mukuka Nkoloso and Zambia’s 1960s space programme, AFRONAUTS combines breathtaking contemporary circus, theatre, music, dance and spectacle to tell a story of African ambition, imagination and possibility.

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In 1964, as Zambia celebrated its independence, schoolteacher Edward Mukuka Nkoloso announced that his newly liberated nation would join the Space Race. His unlikely team of young Zambian astronauts began training for a mission to the moon — and the world laughed.

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More than sixty years later, a new generation of Zambian artists asks: what happens when you have a dream and the whole world tells you it’s impossible?

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Created between Zambia, South Africa and the UK, AFRONAUTS has grown into an exhilarating celebration of dreaming big, refusing the limits imposed upon you, and imagining a different future.

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Following a double award winning, acclaimed season at the 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, AFRONAUTS continues its international tour across the UK, Ireland, Europe and Africa.

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "THIS COLLABORATION BETWEEN WAKE THE BEAST AND CIRCUS ZAMBIA IS A TRIUMPH." - To Do List

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UK • IRELAND • EUROPE • AFRICA — INTERNATIONAL TOUR 2026

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Support the journey via our crowdfunder.​

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AFRONAUTS was initially created with Circus Zambia, Barefeet Theatre and Wake The Beast. We recognise the contribution of Barefeet Theatre to the creation of the project. AFRONAUTS  is kindly supported by the Irish Embassy, Lusaka, Zambia.

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AFRONAUTS IN THE NEWS​​

 

The Guardian

AFRONAUTS and the artists of Circus Zambia were featured by The Guardian during the 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe season.

Read The Guardian feature on Circus Zambia, Wake The Beast and AFRONAUTS ​

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Snack Mag

Interview: ‘Afronauts’ on Staging the Ultimate Underdog Story of the Space Age

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The Phoenix Remix

Circus At The Fringe – INTERVIEW – Afronauts

A clash of circus, theatre, dance and music, to tell the story about Afronauts back in 1964

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Beyond the Curtain

Afronauts - Edinburgh Fringe Interview​​

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The Scotsman

Exclusive:Zambian space race Fringe show 'disappointed' after London theatre ploughs ahead with play of same name