ADDIS ABABA (ETHIOPIA) – Using art and design to promote an absurd social cause unknown to many people in the world. The initiative was taken by Emily Cosentino, a North American who has lived in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) for many years, who contacted the design company manufacturing the PET Lamp, handmade lamps using recycled plastic to create a line in collaboration with local artisans and to raise awareness about the discrimination of mothers of twins, which is a major issue in Ethiopia.
The project
The idea was born in 2011 in Spain, and later exported to Colombia. Shortly thereafter, the project was extended to Chile, and in 2014 it arrived in Africa, with the aim of demonstrating its potential. Here the Abissinia collection was created with the help of numerous craftsmen from Addis Ababa. A few very special mothers, whose only crime was giving birth to twins, also took part in the process.
Discrimination in Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, twins are considered "not blessed by God". After discovering the PET Lamp shops in Colombia and Chile, Emily Cosentino, a North American actively involved in the African country, contacted the Spanish company to develop a project with the association Mothers of Twins.The objective is to help the mothers continue to spread their awareness campaign. The lamps are made by hand by weaving together fabrics and recycled water bottles. A mix of bright colours enriched with a perfect texture, they show that plastic can come back to life and serve as vessels of a social message.
