marrowstudio

[marrowstudio]

Nzambi Matee recycles plastic to make bricks that are stronger than concrete

Nairobi-based startup Gjenge Makers, founded by Nzambi Matee, has created a lightweight and low-cost building material that is made of recycled plastic with sand to make bricks that are stronger than concrete material. 

Nzambi Matee, a 29-year-old trained engineer and schooled in biochemistry, invented a new way of converting waste into sustainable materials. 

In addition to establishing the company, Matee designed the machines that manufacture the bricks. She sources plastic in low and high-density polyethylene and polypropylene from local packaging plants for free to produce durable building materials.

The materials she sources are waste that others cannot process anymore or recycle. Therefore, Matee prevents tonnes of plastic waste from ending up in landfills across the country.

With her initiative, Matee has recently been named a Young Champion of the Earth 2020 Africa winner at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Sources

1 https://worldarchitecture.org/article-links/egmeg/kenyan-startup-founder-nzambi-matee-recycles-plastic-to-make-bricks-that-are-stronger-than-concrete.html

2 https://scoop.upworthy.com/a-kenyan-womans-startup-recycles-plastic-into-bricks-that-are-five-times-stronger-than-concrete-522133-522133

[marrowstudio]

Under African Skies

[marrowstudio]

[marrowstudio]

雨のハス池

[marrowstudio]

[marrowstudio]

[marrowstudio]

[marrowstudio]

[marrowstudio]

[marrowstudio]

[marrowstudio]

I AM BLACK!

Being Black is not singular. 

[marrowstudio]

Studio Ghibli is a big influence in my creative life.

Spirited Away: 10 Most Beautiful Moments of Animation

Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away is a marvel of animation, a true masterpiece of the genre. Every beautiful scene, drawn by Hayao Miyazaki, is a work of art. The film, which centers on Chihiro, a little girl who gets inadvertently trapped in the Spirit World and must fight to save her parents, features many exquisite backdrops. As the Spirit World unfolds before Chihiro there is more and more beauty to uncover.

Here the film's best, most beautiful, moments of animation, from meeting the dancing soot spirits to riding on the lovely Spirit World train.

10. The Abandoned Theme Park

When Chihiro and her family first stumble upon the bridge to the Spirit World and the bathhouse, it takes on the appearance of an abandoned theme park. The beautiful sprawling green plains, and the perfectly deserted seeming temple, with its slight sense of foreboding and decay, begin the movie right with their beauty.

As the wind flows through the grasses, the audience knows they are watching a beautiful movie.

9. The Spirits Come To Life

As the sun sets the Spirit World dances to life in front of Chihiro, with ghostly specters appearing from nowhere, lights turning on, signs appearing, colors blooming into existence, and life flowing from every corner. The climax of the scene occurs as Chihiro takes off running and splashes right into the water.

This complex symphony of illustration makes the scene one of the loveliest moments in the movie.

8. The Soot Spirits Dance

The soot spirits, who love their sprinkles, offer a contrasting, but no less marvelous, style than the rest of the film, which is done up in elegant lines.

They are more cute than stunning, but they are adorable. Perfectly animated to win the hearts of any viewer, especially when they coo happily for their sprinkles or act up to try to get Chihiro to do their work for them.

7. The River Spirit Bath

The River Spirit's bath begins as one of the grimiest and most disgusting scenes in the movie, as the polluted river pulls mud and trash with him everywhere he goes. But, thanks to Chihiro, he is able to be free of all that has been poured inside of him.

In a flash, the scene changes from mud and slime to stark white and gold, cleanliness of the highest degree. A true act of animation genius.

6. Crying In The Garden

In an emotional turning point, Chihiro hits her breaking point and goes to the garden to cry. Haku finds her and sits with her, offering her a special food which soothes her. As she eats, her tears billow into huge bubbles and slide down her face, as the garden stretches behind her, lovely and soothing.

This scene conveys gentleness in its every brush stroke.

5. After The Storm

After a storm passes, the Spirit World and the Bathhouse are overrun with water which laps gently and endlessly out to nowhere.

The water is so incredibly animated and the scene holds an incredible serenity to it, as Chihiro watches the waves and the brightness of a new day.

4. Tea With Zeniba

Chihiro leaves the bathhouse to go and visit Zeniba in a bid to save Haku's life. While she's not sure what to expect, it turns out the witch lives in a cozy cottage in the middle of nowhere.

As Chihiro explains the situation, she and her friends have tea with Zeniba in what is one of the coziest feeling scenes ever. There is a true sense of safety that comes with the hustle and bustle of Zeniba's small house, as she pours tea, offers cakes, and takes out her knitting. It's a scene that encapsulates the true essence of comfort in its beautiful lines.

3. Memories Of The River

Periodically, Chihiro has memories of falling into a river, which turns out to be her link to the mysterious Haku. The memories are painted in sepia tone and carry with them the quality of a dream.

The animation of the flashbacks is watery and fluidly imprecise, the way a half-remembered dream would look if drawn on the page.

2. Falling With Haku

As Chihiro finally remembers who Haku is and gives him back his name, Haku loses his dragon form and the two of them fall together through the clouds. The sequence goes from the sudden intensity of transformation to a beautiful, gentle drift as Haku and Chihiro really find one another for the first time.

Chihiro and Haku's eyes glow as they clasp hands, both at peace at last.

1. The Train Scene

Of all the scenes in the movie, the scene on the Spirit Train is by far one of the most beautiful. The sequence carries with it the feeling of golden late afternoon and the actual essence of being gently lulled by travel.

As light passes through the windows and nameless, faceless spirits board and leave the train, the viewers are transported into a world other than their own, one of pure beauty and serenity. The beautifully animated water also makes a reappearance combining with the sun drift and the elegant music of the sequence to create something truly stunning.

By Rotem Rusak of Screenrant

[marrowstudio]

People of Stone Town Zanzibar.

A snippet from our Sights and Sounds video series;

Watch the full video on Youtube here

[marrowstudio]

Monday

[marrowstudio]

Africans can’t afford to be tourists in their own continent

Don’t you find it weird that Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote has said he needs 38 visas to travel within the continent on his Nigerian passport yet us that have European passports can waltz into most Africans countries visa-free?????? But most importantly don’t you find it weird that our own people cannot even afford to be tourists in their own countries let alone the continent. They don’t see Africa the way that we see it, they don’t see how amazing it really is and how much beauty their countries possess.

African nations were supposed to scrap visa requirements for all African citizens by 2018 but here we are in 2019 and it’s still one of the huge restrictions that stop Africans from travelling. To date, Seychelles and Mauritius are two of the few nations where visa-free travel is open to all Africans – as well as to citizens of every nation – as it always has been. It’s so sad to me that most Africans will die only having ever known their own countries, but even then not to its full extent. The things that we Westerners do when we tour Africa, such as Safari trips, staying in hotels located in the jungle and extreme activities such as zip lining – most Africans cannot afford to do. How weird is it that city breaks in Europe are so cheap, even cheaper than a train to London yet city breaks in Africa are a completely different story. Africans make up more than 12% of the world’s population but less than 3% of the world’s passengers. None of this makes sense!!!

Why do we need a #VisaFreeAfrica?

According to the World Bank, intra-African trade is more expensive than trade in any other region. According to the report, one African supermarket chain spends $20,000 every week to get import permits for just one country. So how can Africa progress when there are so many restrictions?

The benefits of lifting restrictions

The Schengen visa is a good example of the advantages of increased mobility – combined with good air, rail and road connectivity it has made Europe the biggest destination for tourists in the world. In 2014, almost 1.7 people living in Europe worked in another Schengen country, and about 3.5 million people crossed internal Schengen-area borders each day. Around 24 million business trips and 57 million cross-border goods movements were also recorded in the Schengen area that year.

Bilateral net trade between members of the Schengen area increased by 0.09% every year.

In Africa, Seychelles, one of the few completely visa-free countries. After adopting the policy, Seychelles saw an average 7% increase per year in international tourism into the country between 2009 and 2014. When Rwanda abolished work permits for East African citizens, the country’s trade with Kenya and Uganda increased by at least 50%.

Africa integration – a work in progress

While a Visa Free Africa may pose some security concerns, no empirical evidence exists to support this. The pros definitely outweigh the cons with increased tourism, job creation and overall economic growth.

Leaders like President Paul Kagame and organizations such as the African Development Bank have extended their full support. As a private company doing business in Africa, NAS is doing its part by exclusively partnering with the Kigali Shapers to support #VisaFreeAfrica, a global campaign to facilitate mobility in Africa.

#VisaFreeAfrica We need it sooner rather than later!

The post Africans can’t afford to be tourists in their own continent appeared first on CheckoutAfrica.

from WordPress http://www.checkoutafrica.com/africans-cant-afford-tourists-continent/

[marrowstudio]

Learning to let things go

So, as I sit here on my bed on a Sunday morning after having cried a little bit, I have come to realize a lot of things. I, unfortunately, have just now understood the concept of blood not always being thicker than water. It hurts me to acknowledge this but the years of 2016-2019 have really put things into perspective for me. I have learned that people only appreciate you when they need you. People only check in with you when they anticipate that they may need something from you in the near future. Everyone, even your own parents are living their lives for themselves which some exaggerate this more than others. 

As the morning continues and the cool breeze of the Autumn morning progresses into the warmth brought exclusively by the African sun, I sit in my bed, hurt by the fact that I have to mourn the loss of what I thought I once knew as the true definition of family and friends.

[marrowstudio]

4C Beauty || Natural Curls