Trash That Makes A Statement
Arnold Etabe uses plastic rings to represent viruses.
Savant Noir puts feathers, which invoke ancestors’ aid, on a Western-style suit mocking rampant consumerism.
Jared Kalenga’s robot, made of radio parts, warns of misinformation in the media.
Shaka Fumu Kabaka’s toothpaste tubes symbolize viruses. Kitete’s Mirror Man is a dandy in a three-piece suit, according to Gladieu. He says, “The broken mirror is a reflection of what the West has inflicted on the Congo and the lives it has shattered.”
Kilomboshi Pape Noir turned cigarette waste into the figure of Butt Man, Gladieu says, as a reminder “that although the butt is very small, it is still very polluting”—full of toxins, such as lead, formaldehyde, and arsenic, and slow to decompose.
“Waste Wear” . Wear waste. In 2001 some art students in the Democratic Republic of the Congo decided to use their talents for good. They gathered trash from the city streets and turned it into clothing/art to make it loud and clear how they felt about many issues plaguing their country.
“These fantastical costumes – fashioned out of trash, found objects and other materials — were created by artists in the Democratic Republic of Congo to highlight the capital city's problems, including pollution, poverty, lack of healthcare and overconsumption.
But they also highlight the resilience and beauty of its people, captured in a set of striking portraits by Belgian-based photojournalist Colin Delfosse in 2019. He took them after the KinAct Festival, an annual event that brings African and European art to the streets of Kinshasa.” ( Goats and Soda)
Junior Mungongu shows off the costume he created out of plastic bottles and lids.
Making a figure out of automobile parts was Precy Numbi’s way of protesting the millions of “garbage cars” imported into Africa every year—second-hand vehicles that discourage the growth of the continent’s own auto industry.
Jean Precy Numbi Samba poses in another ensemble made from used car parts.
Patrick Kitete’s Flip-Flop Man features the rubber that goes into making inexpensive shoes.
Shaka Fumu Kabaka dresses as Razor Man. The suit is made of razor blades, which youth gang members use to ritually cut their initiates.
Florian Sinanduku's costume, made of packs of pills, is a statement against counterfeit drugs.
There are so many incredible costumes and statements related to the DRC that I found on the internet. These actions definitely speak louder than words.
And as we all know, each of our countries has its own problems with these issues and many more.
What a fascinating way to communicate the need for change.
Sources : The National Geographic and Goats and Soda
P.S. Time to fly off home.
It’s been a wonderful visit……