Congolese Artist Paints Politicians' Pictures with Plastic Waste
2023-01-10
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1Near the edges of Lake Kivu in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, artist Patrick Cikuru Cirimwami walks knee-deep through a mountain of plastic bottles.
2He gathers as many as he can carry into a large container.
3There is no public waste collection in the area.
4And the waste that goes into Lake Kivu often causes breakdowns in the hydroelectric plant, leading to power cuts.
5But Cikuru Cirimwami's goal is bigger than helping clean up.
6Later he will melt down the plastic to make a thick liquid that he uses to paint pictures of politicians.
7The aim is to criticize the politicians for - what he says - is their inaction in protecting the environment.
8"There have been many conferences in DR Congo, many meetings...but we have not taken measures to protect nature. As a Congolese artist, I can send a message," said the 26-year-old.
9Recently, the artist's pictures of politicians were shown at a cultural center in his hometown, Bukavu.
10They included independence leader Patrice Lumumba to current president Felix Tshisekedi.
11Congo says it has a right to develop its economy by exploiting its large amount of natural resources.
12It has come under criticism for selling oil exploration rights in the world's second-biggest rainforest.
13The country says it aims to reduce the possibility of any great destruction effects by using modern drilling methods and restrictive laws.
14It also hosted talks before November's United Nations meeting known as COP 27 in Egypt on ways to prevent an increase in the Earth's average temperature.
15It called on rich nations to follow a promise to developing nations to ensure fair financial assistance to fight changes to the Earth's climate.
16I'm Gregory Stachel.
1Near the edges of Lake Kivu in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, artist Patrick Cikuru Cirimwami walks knee-deep through a mountain of plastic bottles. He gathers as many as he can carry into a large container. 2There is no public waste collection in the area. And the waste that goes into Lake Kivu often causes breakdowns in the hydroelectric plant, leading to power cuts. 3But Cikuru Cirimwami's goal is bigger than helping clean up. Later he will melt down the plastic to make a thick liquid that he uses to paint pictures of politicians. The aim is to criticize the politicians for - what he says - is their inaction in protecting the environment. 4"There have been many conferences in DR Congo, many meetings...but we have not taken measures to protect nature. As a Congolese artist, I can send a message," said the 26-year-old. 5Recently, the artist's pictures of politicians were shown at a cultural center in his hometown, Bukavu. They included independence leader Patrice Lumumba to current president Felix Tshisekedi. 6Congo says it has a right to develop its economy by exploiting its large amount of natural resources. It has come under criticism for selling oil exploration rights in the world's second-biggest rainforest. 7The country says it aims to reduce the possibility of any great destruction effects by using modern drilling methods and restrictive laws. It also hosted talks before November's United Nations meeting known as COP 27 in Egypt on ways to prevent an increase in the Earth's average temperature. It called on rich nations to follow a promise to developing nations to ensure fair financial assistance to fight changes to the Earth's climate. 8I'm Gregory Stachel. 9Crispin Kyala reported this story for Reuters. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. 10______________________________________________________________________ 11Words in This Story 12knee - n. the joint that bends at the middle of your leg 13plant -n. a building or factory were something is made or produced 14exploit - v. to get value or use from (something) 15host -v. to serve as a person or group with the responsibility to hold and supervise an event that includes guests and visitors 16_____________________________________________________________________ 17What do you think of this story? 18We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 19Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.