Daily Maverick
By making art from recyclable materials – other people’s rubbish – Moffat Takadiwa is commenting on environmentalism and inequality. He is also sending the garbage back to the West through his practice: ‘As they continue dumping in Africa, I return it,’ he says.
From one of Zimbabwe’s oldest, most overpopulated slums, Mbare township in Harare, artist Moffat Takadiwa tells his story using discarded materials from garbage dumps to weave expressions that speak about environmentalism and inequality.
Surrounded by countless garbage heaps in open spaces around the city and in townships such as Mbare and other high-density suburbs, Takadiwa draws inspiration and creates intriguing art pieces that have gained him international status.