Agbogbloshie is an e-waste dump in Ghana, and it’s well known as a horrendous case study in irresponsible waste. NGOs and charities send photographers to document it for campaigns, and it is described as a hell on earth, or ‘Sodom and Gomorrah’. It is visually stark, almost unimaginably polluted. As an utterly destroyed landscape, it makes for iconic photography.
“I noticed that they use our photos to tell stories,” says Abdallah, a local youth worker, observing all these visiting photographers. “What stories are they telling with these photos?”
100,000 people work on the dump. Everyone here is hard at work, contributing to the economy, he says. “They are doing so many good things that are not being recognised.” Instead, they end up as props in environmental campaigns, ciphers for human misery and environmental injustice.
So Abdallah gives cameras to two teenage boys that visit his youth centre, and encourages them to use them. “If people are coming in with big cameras to take our photos, why don’t we learn more about cameras and take our photos ourselves and tell the stories ourselves. I think we can tell the stories better.
This is the premise of Kofi and Lartey, a short film that you can watch for free on Waterbear (you’ll need to sign in, but that’s free too). It’s an extraordinary film in its own right, and a good reminder that there is power in storytelling – and that is a power we should give away as much as possible.
The Earthbound Report 