UNCOVERING THE PIONEERS

WITHOUT INNOVATION, THERE WOULD BE NO PROGRESS – AND THERE WOULD BE NO CHANGE. MEET THE AFRICAN INNOVATORS WHO ARE NOT AFRAID TO QUERY EXISTING PERCEPTIONS AND SHIFT BOUNDARIES

Intelligently Wasted

JASPER EALES IS THE CO-FOUNDER and creative director of Cape Town-based gear and apparel brand, Sealand Gear. He speaks of responsibility over sustainability, as it’s a term many may dwell over considering the unrelenting use of the latter. He explains, “The word sustainable is misused and overused, and has become broader spectrum.”

The term ‘responsible’ isn’t quite as easy to throw around, he says. “It’s about considering all the elements at play and making a difference in a positive way, while ‘sustainability’ feels less focused.”

It’s with this ethos that he unpacks Sealand Gear’s new innovation, Econyl® regenerated nylon. If you think you’re buying a bag – the utilitarian and functional type – from them, guess again. “In its simplest form, Econyl® is a regenerative nylon,” says Jasper. Invented from nylonbased waste, he adds that its primary waste source is ghost-fishing nets from the ocean and industrial carpet excess. However, it’s not as simple as morphing these polluting discards into an amazing bag.

By seeing the potential beyond that process, Sealand Gear – the first bag and accessories brand in Africa to use Econyl® – put this material through its paces for quite some time. With careful research and development, the material advanced into something that could be a regenerative nylon, meaning it can be broken down over and over again, details Jasper.

You may have actually read about or even seen Econyl® before. Previously used in swimwear, over time it’s become suitable for bags. A fabric that never loses its structural integrity, it follows a highly responsible four-part creation process. Starting with landfill rescue to nylon waste regeneration, purified Econyl® is remade into a particular type of Econyl® fabric. Lastly, it’s reimagined into a bag or accessory thanks to Sealand.

Back to the idea of responsibility in production over brand catch-phrasing, innovation really does mean amazing things for Mother Nature. It’s all in stats; Econyl® reduces the impact of global warming by 90 percent if compared to standard nylon. It’s also beating fibres like canvas in the green stakes. Carbon specialist, The Green House, reports that a virgin canvas bag has 19,7kgs of CO2 emissions versus an Econyl® one, which sits at 3,1kgs emissions per bag. Ready to invest in something very modern that’s made from something very old – and unwanted? It’s time to buy responsibly.

Sealandgear.co.za

Maker Of Devices And Dreams

A 31-YEAR-OLD NIGERIAN ENGINEER IS DETERMINED TO CREATE A BETTER, BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR AFRICA

WORDS NORMA YOUNG

WHEN HE REALISED that the pleas and punishments weren’t actually working, Chukwuemeka Eza’s father finally relented and bought them a second radio. His son would repeatedly fiddle with the small family transistor, no matter how many times he was implored to leave it alone. “I kept trying to see who spoke inside it,” recalls Chukwuemeka. The desire to understand the workings of the device was consuming, so he persistently tried to take it apart. “I kept on doing this until I succeeded and discovered there was no one inside.”

The second radio was spared from his curiosity as he moved on to other explorations. Chukwuemeka soon taught himself how to repair cassette players, started building lighting systems and tinkered with any electricity-powered items he could find. Breaking apart and building things was so fascinating that when he discovered that engineers “make stuff”, he was determined to make it his career. That dream has come true – and in a spectacular way. Chukwuemeka recently garnered the attention of the Royal Academy of Engineering when he was shortlisted for the 2023 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation because of an e-mobility product he created. This has given him access to expertise and sectorspecific mentoring, an eight-month long tailored training programme, as well as the opportunity to win prize money of up to £25,000.

After graduating from the University of Nigeria with a Bachelor of Engineering, Chukwuemeka worked for a technology company before starting Revive Earth Limited in 2021. Here, he developed Electric Mobility, a service that converts gas-powered three-wheel motorbikes to run on batteries. For drivers, this can result in cost savings of up to 60 percent.

Being a business owner has been an ideal outlet for Chukwuemeka. “I do enjoy the fact that entrepreneurship is the engine that can make everything useful. It’s not technology that creates a sustainable society, but entrepreneurship, because it encourages inclusiveness and equality. It’s the only tool in the key development of society that can sharpen and clean itself.”

Inclusion is an important consideration for Chukwuemeka because he was almost unable to pursue tertiary studies due to financial limitations. His father arranged him an apprenticeship after high school. There was no money for university, but plenty to be learnt while working for the mechanic in their town.

Overcoming hurdles and obstacles has been a theme for most of Chukwuemeka’s life, and he’s often had to look within for solutions and motivation. This happened when the team at Revive Earth Limited was making good progress with product development and, out of nowhere, their mechanical engineer decided to leave the company. There was doubt about whether they’d get the product from its current stage to breakthrough, but by focusing on delivering the core value proposition – reduction in cost and building a rugged product – the team succeeded.

Determined to continue this trajectory, Chukwuemeka is clear on the goals Revive Earth Limited is chasing over the next 10 years. He intends for them to “create a supply chain of e-mobility transport systems for all of Africa which can adapt the technologies of the 4th Industrial Revolution, such as Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things.”

Revenue-wise, he hopes the company can reach around 10 million dollars in the decade ahead. This goal isn’t just about income, but about who it might inspire. “This is important to me because it’s the most effective way to show the younger generation that it is possible to actualise a dream, no matter how big it is. We need to inculcate the mentality of never-saynever in young people because that’s the best way to save society and leave a long-lasting footprint in the sands of time.”

Reviveearth.com

Patterns In Glass And Metal

FINE ARTIST BRIDGET MODEMA’S SCULPTURAL WORKS BRING EMOTIONS TO VIVID LIFE

WORDS MATTHEW MCCLURE

YOU KNOW WHEN YOU BUMP into a stranger and have an unshakeable feeling that you’ve met them before? Or that disconcerting prickle on the back of your neck when you enter a room for the first time? It’s these mysterious yet undeniable networks of energy that fine artist Bridget Modema explores through her innovative three-dimensional mixedmedia sculptures.

I learn quickly during our interview that there is more to her than meets the eye. Her names are ones that she assumed for herself; they convey deep personal significance connected to her beliefs in the power of universal energy and the call to create. She chats to me from Johannesburg’s Melrose Gallery, where she’s recently exhibited as part of a group show. “I was 13 when my father passed away. I’ve always been guided by the universe and was brought up to be very independent. The universe guided me and my father would appear when I had a decision to make.”

Bridget’s interest in the energy of the natural world and spiritualism sparked early on and forms the bedrock of her career. She laughs as she tells me about the many difficult lessons she’s learned about emotional release. One in particular, she chuckles, involved throwing a precious sculpture of hers off a mountaintop during a retreat. “A quote that really summarises my practice would be from Nicola Tesla,” Bridget says, reciting what are perhaps some of the American inventor and engineer’s most celebrated words “If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.” Making these universal energies and frequencies visible and recognising that they bind humanity together despite our differences is the essence of Bridget’s practice. She’s interested in discovering the healing abilities of energetic frequencies and vibrations through the practice of cymatics, or as she terms it, “the visual study of sound… how the intangible can become tangible. These worlds can have a visual component.” Bridget, in a real sense, makes what we feel, visible.

Perhaps the best way to get a true sense of how Bridget does this is through her recent work exhibited at the Nirox Sculpture Park, commissioned by the Claire and Edoardo Villa Will Trust. She recorded the ambient sounds present at the space while noting the ebb and flow of energies she encountered. Using a Chladni device (a machine designed to make sound patterns visible in sand), Bridget sketched out the ambient energies in three dimensions and translated them into a complex, mixed media mobile work. Bridget’s art registers and records the accumulations of energies and experiences that rub off on spaces over time as they are navigated by different bodies, even as they constantly change. Of course, what Bridget is visualising is not new. Cultures across the world have attached importance to divine energies and understanding how they can be apprehended. The ancient Egyptian priests called it Sekhem. The Eastern philosophy of Taoism imparts a deep respect for the ebb and flow of natural rhythms and teaches us how to live in accordance with them, and many of us would have experienced a deeply relaxing Reiki session at least once. But Bridget’s innovative approach is blending these ancient systems with the world of fine art, making them discernible and understandable, perhaps even sometimes uncomfortably so.

As we end the interview, one question seems to remain. How does Bridget locate herself as an artist exploring such intimately human issues in a country that labours under a burden of deadly daily violence?

“I struggled with my emotions. I struggled with a sense of belonging. I wanted to find a language of self-expression,” she tells me. “At the end of the day, spirituality comes down to how you find meaning. How can you find a way of moving on?

If we can find a way to understand that we are chemical beings, we can identify our trauma and work with it.”

Modema.co.za

Power To The People

DRIVING AN ELECTRIC CAR to work, powering appliances with solar energy and riding an e-bike for exercise. This is the life 27-year-old Gibson Kawago intends to have in the CITI of WAGA. “Only green solutions will be utilised,” he muses. This dream town he plans to build will be vastly different from the Tanzanian village where Gibson was born. Kerosene lamps and firewood were used for light as they had no electricity. Seeing his father, a mechanical engineer, hard at work was both inspiring and informative as Gibson began to experiment by crafting torches from batteries. By the time he finished high school, he knew this was more than a passing hobby, and enrolled for an engineering degree at the Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology. While studying, he became fascinated with lithium-ion batteries. He built prototypes, took extra online courses through Coursera, and volunteered at a STEM-focused company.

In 2019, Gibson founded WAGA, a company that specialises in battery solutions. Their flagship product is the WAGA Power Pack, which uses recycled lithium-ion laptop batteries to provide affordable and reliable power for electric bikes, power banks, solar lights, businesses and homes. The packs are available in 12, 24 or 48 volts, making them suitable for different needs. This innovation is in response to the absent or unreliable electricity supply that frustrates many citizens.

“I am motivated by the problems in my society, and I feel like I need to find a solution,” says Gibson. Starting a business has been a “trying experience requiring resilience, persistence and a strong work ethic,” but it comes with rewards. “I love being an entrepreneur as I meet different people daily. I love that people are happy when I provide them with lithium-ion batteries. Their smile gives me a trillion reasons to keep doing what I am doing.”

Gibson was recently shortlisted for the 2023 Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation by the Royal Academy of Engineering. In 2022, he was named a National and Global Winner in the Climate Launchpad competition, was recognised as a Young Leader for SDGs by the United Nations for 2022-2024 and, in the same year, the United Nations Development Programme awarded him the title of Sustainable Development Goal Champion in Tanzania for his work in advancing the goal of affordable and clean energy.

This acknowledgement is meaningful as Gibson hopes it will fuel business growth. “Innovation is important, but success in entrepreneurship requires more than just great ideas, and sometimes even the most innovative concepts can fail to gain traction due to resource constraints.”

The biggest challenges he faces include securing the resources, time and funding necessary for prototyping, R&D and other early-stage business needs. A bespoke answer to one of the problems has been harnessing the realities of their local community to find suppliers. WAGA has devised a system in which it buys old batteries from informal waste collectors. It sources across Tanzania and then tests the batteries. Corroded ones and those with dropped voltages are sent for electrochemical recycling.

WAGA Power Packs are good for the planet as they have no carbon emissions. They’re also beneficial to entrepreneurs as they allow businesses to remain in operation after sundown, and thereby increase income opportunities.

These systems and solutions are just the beginning of Gibson’s ambitions. In the future, he plans for WAGA to make its own electric bikes and to fully manufacture its own battery packs inhouse. His dream is for Africa to have reliable, clean and affordable energy. “This is important to me because I really want to let Earth remain green as it is the only home for our future generation of sons and daughters.”

Wagatanzania.com