Nigeria’s ‘Waste Museum’ showcases art to raise awareness on waste

NIGERIA: As part of Nigeria’s ‘Waste Museum’ in Ibadan city, Jumoke Olowookere creates new pieces out of old tyres, to add to a wide collection of pieces made from used plastic and fabric, corks, and corn husks, among other materials.

Olowookere’s museum is the first of its kind in Africa, and she is not alone – Nigerians are using waste material for art and fashion to highlight the environmental damage caused by waste.

In Nigeria, Africa’s biggest oil producer with more than 200 million people, plastic waste in particular, in the form of discarded bags, food and drink packaging, is ubiquitous and dropping of litter is common place.

Olowookere said she had the idea when she saw the amount of waste generated in her kitchen, such as plastic, nylon and corn husks. She started piling them 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 U.N. member states were meeting in Nairobi to agree plans for the first global treaty to tackle plastics 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 told Reuters.

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 material from people’s homes and also makes equipment for school playgrounds.

Work from other artists is also featured at her museum, which includes ottoman furniture and ceiling panels made from worn-out car tyres as well as curtains and jewellery produced from bottle tops.