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| La Maison Afrique AB was established in 1995. It aims to promote environmentally-friendly, small scale producer groups with highly manual and traditional production methods, which use locally available and sustainable materials. La Maison Afrique assists over 35 informal groups in rural and urban areas of Madagascar. One of these groups is made up of 4 families and is based in the capital Antananarivo. This group collects discarded tins and cans and transforms them into unique handicrafts that are shown here. | ||
| Material: | Recycled metal | |
| country: | Madagascar | |
| email: | la.maison.afrique@ebrevet.nu | |
| URL: |
www.la-maison-afrique.se/eng/ | |
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In Madagascar the only packaging officially recycled are glass bottles. Cans and tins are not recycled and end up dumped. The artisans working for La Maison Afrique are converting this waste into beautifully crafted objects such as the ones on display here. |
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The metal handicrafts are produced entirely by hand. Cutting, bending, forming and assembling are skills that are developed over time and create much needed jobs. Choosing hand production over mechanised production significantly reduces CO2 emissions. It also provides asset poor people living in remote areas with local income earning opportunities. |
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Very little energy is used in the production of these handicrafts. Soldering is only rarely used when the tins and cans are damaged. Furthermore the artisans in this group work from home.
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| La Maison Afrique artisan's want us to think about our consumption habits. They ask us: Where would we be if all people in the world used as much packaging on their drinks, food, etc as the northern societies do? |