Recycler’s Market, Addis Ababa
I took this picture in a recycling centre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The center is unique in that people live in the recycling area surrounded by heaps of scrap metal and parts. And amazingly, it is recycled, or upcycled into new products that are pounded out by hand and anvil. This young man was asking for alms whilst he embarks on a youthful Muslim pilgrimage.
Eyes can be magnetic, and the gentleness and humility in his drew me in. It was this way with so many people in this live-work recycling community. Living in relative poverty, when people have community, it always amazes me how resilient, industrious and gracious people can be.
