Ivory Coast Man Turns Old Flip-Flops into Artwork
2021-08-20
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1A man from Ivory Coast has found a creative way to repurpose footwear that washes up on the beach -- he turns it into artwork.
2Aristide Kouame is a 26-year-old artist.
3But he says no one would know this when they see him going around beach areas picking up flip-flops and other kinds of footwear.
4They probably think he is gathering the old objects to sell on the street.
5But Kouame has recognized the real value of such waste.
6He has created works of art from the material that can sell for up to $1,000.
7He cuts the rubber and plastic bottoms from the footwear into pieces and uses them to create large collages.
8"This is the rubbish people have thrown into the sea and the sea brings it back to us because it doesn't want it," Kouame told Reuters news agency.
9He was collecting material from a beach in Abidjan, Ivory Coast's economic capital.
10"I make art from used shoes...It's a way to give life to the objects that litter the beaches," the artist explained.
11Sitting on the floor of a narrow street, Kouame creates shapes, letters and faces with the rubber pieces he picked up on the beach.
12He even makes his own paint by crushing the material into pieces to create a colored pigment.
13His method is not costly and does not harm the environment.
14Plastic and other waste -- including large amounts of lost flip-flops -- litter most city beaches in West Africa.
15The waste is thrown away in cities and carried out to sea.
16But a lot of it ends up on the beach later.
17In just a few years, Kouame's methods have caught the attention of Ivory Coast's art establishment and his works have hung in galleries in Ivory Coast and in other countries.
18His work has included large portraits of civil rights and political leaders such as Nelson Mandela.
19Other pieces were created to draw attention to world problems, including climate change, COVID-19 and economic inequality.
20On a recent afternoon in a neighborhood in southern Abidjan, several of Kouame's works were shown in a gallery often visited by foreign art collectors.
21The gallery's director joyfully led visitors to three large collages.
22Each contained about 140 small portraits that Kouame created from flip-flop waste.
23The United Nations estimates that about 13 million tons of plastic waste is put into the world's oceans each year.
24Two of Africa's biggest waste producers, Ghana and Nigeria, share the same Atlantic coastal areas as the beach where Kouame searches for supplies.
25For his part, Kouame says he plans to keep collecting and creating.
26"My goal is to get people to question the issue of their environment, in order to create a better life."
27I'm Bryan Lynn.
1A man from Ivory Coast has found a creative way to repurpose footwear that washes up on the beach -- he turns it into artwork. 2Aristide Kouame is a 26-year-old artist. But he says no one would know this when they see him going around beach areas picking up flip-flops and other kinds of footwear. They probably think he is gathering the old objects to sell on the street. 3But Kouame has recognized the real value of such waste. He has created works of art from the material that can sell for up to $1,000. He cuts the rubber and plastic bottoms from the footwear into pieces and uses them to create large collages. 4"This is the rubbish people have thrown into the sea and the sea brings it back to us because it doesn't want it," Kouame told Reuters news agency. He was collecting material from a beach in Abidjan, Ivory Coast's economic capital. 5"I make art from used shoes...It's a way to give life to the objects that litter the beaches," the artist explained. 6Sitting on the floor of a narrow street, Kouame creates shapes, letters and faces with the rubber pieces he picked up on the beach. He even makes his own paint by crushing the material into pieces to create a colored pigment. 7His method is not costly and does not harm the environment. 8Plastic and other waste -- including large amounts of lost flip-flops -- litter most city beaches in West Africa. The waste is thrown away in cities and carried out to sea. But a lot of it ends up on the beach later. 9In just a few years, Kouame's methods have caught the attention of Ivory Coast's art establishment and his works have hung in galleries in Ivory Coast and in other countries. 10His work has included large portraits of civil rights and political leaders such as Nelson Mandela. Other pieces were created to draw attention to world problems, including climate change, COVID-19 and economic inequality. 11On a recent afternoon in a neighborhood in southern Abidjan, several of Kouame's works were shown in a gallery often visited by foreign art collectors. 12The gallery's director joyfully led visitors to three large collages. Each contained about 140 small portraits that Kouame created from flip-flop waste. 13The United Nations estimates that about 13 million tons of plastic waste is put into the world's oceans each year. Two of Africa's biggest waste producers, Ghana and Nigeria, share the same Atlantic coastal areas as the beach where Kouame searches for supplies. 14For his part, Kouame says he plans to keep collecting and creating. "My goal is to get people to question the issue of their environment, in order to create a better life." 15I'm Bryan Lynn. 16Reuters reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 17We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. 18___________________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20beach -n. an area covered with sand and small rocks that is next to the ocean or a lake 21flip-flop - n. a kind of open-toed shoe that is usually made of rubber 22collage - n. a picture made by sticking small pieces of paper or other materials onto a surface 23rubbish - n. things that are thrown because they are not useful anymore 24litter - n. pieces of paper and other waste that are left in public places 25pigment - n. a substance that give something color 26gallery - n. a room or building that is used for showing paintings and other pieces of art to the public 27portrait - n. a painting, drawing or photograph of a person