WHAT \ U.N. Safe Planet Campaign \ Art Exhibitions & Public Outreach

Je’nwi Temi, Nigeria

Mo fe Soro/I Want to Talk

Safe Planet Arts & Outreach Event in Lagos, Nigeria

May, 2012

This spring, the UN Safe Planet Campaign, in co-operation with the Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR), and IPEN, Nigeria, will produce and entertain a variety of events to highlight electronic waste, plastic pollution in the oceans, POPs, and other hazardous chemicals in our bodies and the seas. 

Mo fe Soro/ I Want to Talk will feature 3 days of activities including an international art exhibition, a symposium on plastic pollution, e-waste and POPs, an evening of films, visits to local schools, a beach clean-up activity for youth and the announcement of a Safe Planet Art Contest for Nigeria.

The international art exhibition will highlight the work of artists who connect the themes of climate change, rising oceanic levels, plastic pollution and Body Burden.  Invited artists include: Manuel Mansylla (Guatamala), Barbara Benish (USA/Czech Republic), Jamaica Osorio (USA/Hawai'i), Dianna Cohen (USA),  , Jason de Caires Taylor (UK/Mexico), Rahmin Bahrani (USA), Anila Agha (USA/Pakistan), Kyd Campbell (Germany), Ehije Ehinor (Nigeria), and Bridget Nwanze (Nigeria).  Body Burden, a short film directed by Howard Baral, will be shown along with other Safe Planet related shorts and the 5Gyres ocean exploration films.

Safe Planet is working with Kofi Renner, NIOMR who will speak on West African issues of Waste and Chemicals in the Marine Environment. Mr. Idris Imram, working with the International POPs Elimination Network in Lagos, will lead the discussion. Via the arts and outreach, Friends of Safe Planet will bring information and inspirational solutions to our increasingly toxic body burden, highlighting issues of electronic waste and marine plastic pollution.   In Lagos, artist Barbara Benish, Director of ArtMill Center for Sustainable Creativity in Czech Republic, will work with students from local schools to create artworks from found plastic.   A beach-clean up project is also planned.

E-Waste, an increasing problem worldwide, is also prominent in Africa.  Read about a UN Report concerning the import of e-waste from Europe.

Contacts:

NIOMR Research Officer: Kofi Renner, kofirenner@yahoo.co.uk

Safe Planet Arts, Education & Outreach: Barbara Benish, barbara@artmill.eu