By Seli Baisie
Ghanaian fashion artist and art activist, Beatrice Bee Arthur, has urged artists and creatives to find innovative ways to upcycle waste, particularly in tackling fast fashion and waste pollution in Ghana.
“We artists are powerful. I believe that art is political more than anything. Art is a weapon. I am trying to encourage and weaponize everybody because we all have the power to make a change in our own corner,” Arthur stated.
Beatrice Arthur emphasized that individual efforts are crucial in addressing waste pollution, especially given the lack of governmental plans to curb the importation of used clothing and plastics in Ghana.
“From what I heard, there is not going to be a solution from the government anytime soon. They are not doing anything to curb the importation of used clothing. They are afraid to deprive people of jobs, so they are not going to ban plastics or used clothing,” she iterated.
Speaking at the Environment Week event at Alliance Française in Accra, dubbed “Curbing Fast Fashion and Plastic Pollution,” Arthur highlighted that 90 percent of her artistic works and installations are made from waste materials.
She also stressed the importance of reusing household items and disposing of waste responsibly.
Additionally, she questioned why traditional chiefs can enforce bans on noise-making and drumming but remain silent on the issue of littering.
Bee Arthur’s call to action aims to inspire a collective effort among artists and the general public to mitigate environmental pollution through creative and sustainable practices.
