This is a series on the Ghanaian slum Agbogbloshie. People and cattle live on mountains of motherboards, monitors and discarded hard drives. The UN Environment Program has stated that Western countries produce around 50 million tons of digital waste every year. In Europe, only 25% of this type of waste is recycled. Much of the rest is shipped to developing countries, supposedly to reduce the digital divide and to create jobs. In reality, the inhabitants survive largely by burning the electronic devices to extract copper and other metals used in their manufacture.
Exposition Panafricaine
Musée National du Mali
Pieter Hugo (South Africa)
Permanent Error, 2009 – 2010
