Biography

Phillipe is a young Congolese man born on November 3, 1993. He fled his country of origin in 2019 due to war. After losing his family, he came to Dzaleka to seek asylum. He currently lives alone in the Dzaleka refugee camp where he makes graphic design and is a filmmaker.

He is the eldest of three with two younger sisters. When he was still in the DRC and was doing his studies, he always dreamed of being a writer, actor, and screenwriter. After school, he often went to Yolé Africa, a cultural center in Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He remembers that every Saturday, he would watch films there by different Congolese filmmakers. He received training in basic filmmaking from Yolé Africa and in graphic design at a studio called Panafrica.

In 2019, he was relaxing in his bedroom and his mother and sisters were in the living room. He suddenly overheard men yelling at his mother to hand over his parents’ papers. Phillipe snuck into the kitchen just as the armed, masked men with machetes attacked his mother. He saw his sisters flee into their bedroom as he ran out of the house and jumped over the wall. Seconds later, he heard gunfire and then the house went up in flames. His mother died that day. He doesn’t know if his sisters are still alive.

Phillipe fled to Malawi and made it to Dzaleka. He had nothing and had to figure out how to survive all alone. He found an organization called Vijana Africa within the camp that offers opportunities for youth. After one year, he met people from Salama Africa, who invited him to work with them.

Since living in the camp, Phillipe has continued to develop his skills as a filmmaker. While his initial training came from Yolé Africa, he has continued to learn from internet sources. His preferred genres are drama, action, and comedy. He makes films to educate people about the realities of the world. He hopes that after watching his films, people will understand something about both the good and the bad that exists. He wants people to know that those who are on a bad path always have the opportunity to change to a positive one.

Living in the camp, Phillipe encounters a lot of challenges with his film career. He doesn’t have access to equipment, such as a professional camera, a computer that is robust enough for film editing, a microphone, lighting—everything that one needs for a film studio.

He dreams of someday starting a cultural center similar to Yolé Africa where young people can be trained to pursue careers as artists.

Merlin asks viewers: “Don’t forget to like and subscribe to the YouTube channel!” The channel “Merlin Productions”” https://www.youtube.com/@merlinproduction8515

Examples of his short work on YouTube:

What is my fault: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6d8iwAENjwE
The Box, Episode 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0-g5GOIUp8
1 Chase, Episode 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qRnYWHH83g

Short documentary of the Tumaini Festival:

https://www.facebook.com/philippe.mputu.7/videos/714429183618409?idorvanity=528582556034438