Excerpt:
Modou Fall does more than recycling, he campaigns for a cleaner and greener future.
In a quiet corner of Medina Gounass, on the outskirts of Dakar, Senegal, one man has taken it upon himself to breathe new life into a place many had abandoned.
Where mountains of plastic waste once sprawled, a green oasis has sprung up, thanks to his relentless determination.
Mr. Modou Fall, popularly known as the “Plastic Man,” embodies a struggle that goes beyond recycling. He is an activist, an educator, and a campaigner for a cleaner planet and a more sustainable future.
In 2020, when the world was grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, Modou Fall was on a different mission. Medina, his neighbourhood, which was once a vibrant place bustling with all manner of activities, had become neglected and over time seen the exodus of its inhabitants. After several floods, the area slowly became a dumping ground.
“At first, there was nothing but garbage and a few crumpling walls,” he recounts. “But I knew something could be done about it.”
Where others saw an unsalvageable space, Mr. Fall saw immense potential. With a team of volunteers, he began to transform the space by planting trees, setting up educational displays and repurposing discarded materials.
“Each piece here tells a story. We salvaged these objects to give them a new life,” he told Africa Renewal in an interview in Dakar.
Cleaning up waste was just the beginning, Mr. Fall wanted to change mindsets through raising awareness. He quips: “The problem isn’t just the garbage we throw away, but our relationship with plastic…”
