Each year, Nigeria generates 32 million tonnes of waste, of which a staggering 90% ends up in landfill, incinerated, or illegally dumped. This waste contributes significantly to methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas.
In this event – hosted by The VII Foundation contributing photographer Finbarr O’Reilly – Oyewole Lawal presents his project Guardians of Gaia: The Unseen Eco-Warriors. For the last years, Oyewole has been documenting scavengers, who work on the streets, gutters, and landfills in Africa, salvaging what society discards. By doing so, scavengers reduce the environmental impact, recycling 10% of the waste.
Many of Oyewole’s images have been made in the Olusosan Landfill in Lagos. This landfill is the largest in Africa, covering over 40 acres of land and receiving at least 10,000 tons of waste daily.
Join Finbarr O’Reilly for a presentation on July 18th at 12:00 PM EDT / 18:00 PM CEST. Oyewole’s talk will be followed by a Q&A session.
A recording of this presentation will be available in our Video Collection, shortly after the event.
