Cameroon and Burkina Faso recycling project at Expo

(AGI) Rho, Oct 26 - Drivers of sustainable development, such asinnovation, reuse and recycling, form the basis of a projectimplemented in Cameroon and Burkina Faso. The project waspresented on Monday, as part of "Energy, Art and Sustainabilityfor Africa" week, supported by Eni and Expo. It came aboutthanks to a partnership between the Italian University of Paduaand Koudougou University in Burkina Faso. "We have beenworking with 670 artisans in Cameroon and Burkina Faso for thelast four years. We have decodified the production processesand identified top notch artists, whose creativity puts them ona par with leading and acclaimed stylists", said Esoh Elame, aprofessor at Padua University. The craftsmen and artistsexpress themselves through the use of waste, from plastic torubber, as well as other objects, creating works of art andfashion objects such as bags and sandals. Refuse has becomethe raw material for innovation geared to developing a socialeconomy. The university, explained the rector of KoudougouUniversity, Georges Sawadogo, "has the role to educate andpromote innovative processes and organisation. The idea is totransform this informal economic system into a formal one,precisely to foster innovation and create enterprise and jobs.Managing things differently, doing things differently -sustainably, in a word." "This would need investment,"Professor Elame said, "The aim of coming to Expo is to makethis fundamental informal/formal transformation happen, makingcontact with leading stylists, and meeting people keen onethical production. As well as having the ability to sell intheir own countries, these artisans have what it takes fortheir goods to be exported. This has a high social value,because it leads to the creation of a social economy that liftsthese artisans out of poverty. People are working with recycledplastic to make objects, bags, bracelets or, for example, tospend part of their day sifting through rubbish looking forrecyclable raw materials. These people are considered poor andit is unthinkable that they have these creative skills, yetcannot live off their own work. These are people who want tostay in their own country, work, set up businesses and aneconomy. But for this to happen, they need guidance andadequate investments. Otherwise, they will turn up in Italy infive years' time, working as caregivers perhaps. We don't wantthat. I say no to that, which is why they need guidance. Theuniversity has done its bit, now it's time for the next step:creating business. This is precisely why we are here at Expo."(AGI).