The ultimate waste not, want not continent has to be Africa. While it might be
inconceivable to us neophytes in the West, who are used to replacing anything that
wears out or is simply discarded because we’re bored with it, the Africans take
a very different view. They recycle old tractor tyres as irrigation channels, plastic
bottles are remodelled as toys with old shoes cut up and refashioned into wheels,
water pumps adapted to double as bench grinders and old gear cogs turned into
hammers. But take a look at the welding equipment, below left. The wires are
insulated with clothing torn into strips. Also note the slavish devotion to OHS. n
African necessity
– the mother of invention
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