The word Libulu means “hole” in Lingala, the local language in Kinshasa. The “hole” in which the Libulu market sits is located sits between a busy road and a railway in the middle of the city. The market was created in the 1970s by craftspeople who specialized in shoemaking.

The majority of the craftsmen in the market are disadvantaged youth, many formerly homeless. They began working as shoemakers with an apprenticeship through a non-profit organization called l’Association des Personnes des Métiers Manuels Congolais (APEMMCO), or the Association of People for Congolese Handcrafts.

Today, the organization has over 150 young members learning the trade. Their work includes shoes, slippers, traditional “raphia” bags, belts, hats, and various goods made of leather.

The founder and President of APEMMCO is Mr. Antoine Yangsa, pictured below. The market is in Kinshasa’s Barumbu district, one of the poorest and least developed in the city. Mr. Yangsa, nonetheless, based the HQ of APEMMCO in the middle of the market where he works in a difficult environment.

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