Ships arrive on the coast of West Africa with large quantities of second-hand clothing, known in Ghana as "obroni wawu" or "clothes of dead white men." These clothes, often from charity shops in the Western world, create jobs but also contribute to environmental issues, as many arrive in unwearable condition and turn parts of Ghana into a toxic landfill. The trade has boomed over the past two decades, but it has also led to a decline in local textile production by up to 75% since the 1980s. The influx of cheap Western clothing has made it difficult for local textile makers to compete, and the waste generated from unsellable clothes is overwhelming Accra's waste management system. The city now faces the challenge of disposing over 160 tons of textile waste daily. This situation has created an environmental catastrophe, with unwanted clothing clogging waterways and affecting aquatic life. Importers often face losses due to the poor quality of clothes received, and the waste problem is exacerbated by informal dumps around slums like Old Fatima. The documentary suggests that Western consumers should be more conscious about the final destination of their discarded clothing and not ship the problem to other countries.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Ships arrive in Ghana with a large cargo of used clothing.
2. The used clothing is referred to as "Brawny wow" or "Pentacles" in Ghana.
3. The trade in used clothes has created thousands of jobs in Ghana.
4. However, it has also turned parts of Ghana into a toxic landfill.
5. The world's unwanted fashion ends up in Ghana.
6. In Accra, the working day begins long before dawn.
7. Thousands of Ghanaians make their daily migration into the center of the city.
8. Aisha Idrisu and her 18-month-old son Sharif work in the second-hand clothes trade.
9. Asari Asamoa is a successful importer of used clothing.
10. He imports as many as 3 million items of used clothing every year, mostly from the United Kingdom.
11. The used clothing is sold to retailers in Cantonmento Market.
12. The retailers pick the finest clothes to be ready for Market Day.
13. The trade in used clothing is also risky for importers, who pay up front with no guarantee of the quality of the clothes.
14. Asari Asamoa attributes his family's success to divine intervention.
15. Western cast-offs are so cheap that local textile makers can't compete.
16. Since the 1980s, local textile makers' output has fallen by as much as 75%.
17. Traditional African clothing has become too expensive for everyday wear.
18. In Ghana, Sunday is a day for traditional clothing.
19. The city of Accra has to find a way to dispose of more than 160 tons of textile waste every day.
20. The waste is often dumped in informal, unregulated dumps.
21. Synthetic textiles can take hundreds of years to decompose.
22. The waste from the used clothing industry is blamed on the people of Old Fatima, who are not responsible for the problem.
23. The waste ends up in places like Old Fatima, where it is used to further disenfranchise people living in poverty.
24. The world's big fashion houses are blamed for the waste crisis.
25. Brands overproduce by up to 40%, and much of the unwanted clothing is simply burned.
26. The flow of second-hand clothing into Ghana has been a lifeline for many people, including Aisha Idrisu.