The traditional dhow is made from wood, but an ambitious new project is making waves in the waters of East Africa. A dhow made entirely from recycled plastic aims to go on at least two expeditions this year.
Its first voyage from the Kenyan island of Lamu to Stone Town in Zanzibar, Tanzania, began this month. Dubbed the FlipFlopi Project, the dhow will make several stops in towns and cities along its 500 km route to spread a “plastic revolution” to the coastal communities of Kenya and Tanzania, according to Dipesh Pabari, the project’s team leader.
Pabari said the FlipFlopi Project aims to engage and raise awareness to local communities along the route on the dangers of single-use plastics and to teach them how to recycle their plastic.
“The main aim is to build on the story of this plastic revolution and to continue to highlight to the world that single-use plastic items are dreadful,” Pabari told UN Environment.
The rainbow-colored FlipFlopi dhow is 9 meters long and made from discarded plastics picked up during regular clean-ups of the ocean.
It is the first dhow made entirely from recycled plastic. The boat was built on Lamu island in its entirety by Ali Skanda, the chief boat builder who also works as a project leader alongside Pabari, and a crew of volunteer crew members.
Boat made from recycled plastic set to sail today at #Lamu #Kenya as campaign against use of plastic and it’s negative effect to ocean and marine ecosystems @C_SOI pic.twitter.com/ipuxYTLHPY
— Mugo Mugo (@PMugoMugo) September 15, 2018
Pabari says this makes the project distinctly African. “It is so important that this is an African story because Africa is one of the few continents left that hasn’t necessarily gone the whole way towards a consumption-led society yet,” Pabari says.
The FlipFlopi Project is supported by the UN Environment and the Kenyan government in its latest effort to combat plastic pollution.