Inside Nigeria’s Waste Museum in Ibadan city, Jumoke Olowookere works on her latest creations. They’re made out of used tyres, adding to a wide collection produced from used plastic and fabric, wine corks and corn husks, among other materials.
Olowookere, who says her museum is the first of its kind in Africa, joins a growing number of Nigerians who are using waste material to make art and fashion to highlight its damaging impact on the environment.
In Africa’s biggest oil producer, which has a population of more than 200-million, plastic waste, in particular discarded bags and food and drink packaging, is ubiquitous and littering is commonplace.
Olowookere said she had the idea when she saw the amount of waste generated in her kitchen. She started piling it up in a corner of a room while reading up on how to reduce and recycle.
The 44-year-old former visual arts teacher spoke as UN member states met in Nairobi to agree on plans for the first global treaty to tackle plastic pollution.
“We have a long way to go to get to that sustainable world without waste. We need to get up and take responsibility for our waste. Stop littering the world with your waste,” she said.
In Nigeria’s commercial capital Lagos, a lot of waste ends up in waterways that lead into the Gulf of Guinea, prompting concerns about the amount of plastic entering the sea.
Olowookere said she collected some of her waste from people’s homes and also makes equipment for school playgrounds.
Work from other artists is also featured at her museum, which includes ottomans and ceiling panels made from worn-out car tyres, as well as curtains and jewellery produced from bottle tops.
— Reuters
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