Dhow is a generic name for a number of traditional sailing vessels with one or more masts with settee or sometimes lateen sails. This could be referred as an African craft, and because of its relation to plastics wastes, PIMI has gathered some info from several Sources.
The “The Flipflopi Expedition” is the name of a group who have initiated the project. “Ben Morison” the founder of the project writes about it:
“In June 2016 we decided to try and build a boat entirely from plastic collected on beaches and roadsides in Kenya to show the potential of ‘already-used’ plastic. And two years later, using over tens of tonnes of plastic waste and thousands of repurposed flipflops – we have succeeded. Built on the island of Lamu using traditional dhow builders and techniques, the world’s very first 100% recycled plastic dhow set sail in September 2018.But of course it has never really been about the boat… we simply want to demonstrate that single use plastic doesn’t make sense. We hope people around the world are inspired to find their own ways to repurpose ‘already-used’ plastic.
The next step in our journey is to sail our boat to Zanzibar sharing our message along the east African coast, talking to law makers, companies and communities about what can be done to reduce plastic use and to stop plastic ending up in the environment.
Wherever you may live, the reality is that we are all standing on the edge of a global calamity. I know this with every logical cell in my body. We know that responsible lawmakers, corporate and individuals can make a difference, but urgent actions are needed, so I urge you to join the #plasticrevolution and make your voice heard!”
You can read about the team by “Clicking Here“.
Then they explain about the first “Dhow” as this:
We have built the first Flipflopi Dhow – a prototype. At 10 metres in length and weighing about 5 tonnes – it is quite a spectacle, and a considerable achievement by Ali Skanda and our team of volunteers. The boat was launched in Lamu – at Ali’s boat yard – in September 2018 by Kenya’s minister for tourism, the Lamu County Governor and a crowd of local lamunians all interested to see the conclusion of all the beach clean ups they’d either witnessed or been involved in.
Lamu Island is on the north Kenya coast, and has long been the most important centre for dhow building in the region. Lamu Town itself is a UNEP World Heritage Site and is the oldest and best preserved Swahili settlement in East Africa, having been inhabited since 1370.
Waste plastics, mainly from Lamu’s beaches, were used to construct the entire boat. The keel, ribs and structural elements are all made from recycled plastic including bottles and bags, whilst the hull and decking is covered completely by re-purposed flip-flops. Despite the unusual materials, the vessel was constructed by local craftsmen using traditional methods, and we were thrilled to see it set sail with Ali Skanda at the helm and the tourism minister and entourage enjoying the ride.
The prototype Flipflopi is already very busy sailing around Lamu and regional waters (including an expedition to Zanzibar in early 2019) – and in so doing it is conducting excellent advocacy for the recycling and re-use of single use plastics. However owing to her size, we can not sail the Flipflopi dhow further afield. And really we need to.
So we are now engaged with building a 20 meters boat, so that we can sail the message, not just regionally, but around the world. It will allow us to continue the Flipflopi’s important advocacy in the Indian Ocean region, sailing initially to Cape Town, an expedition that will included 5000+ kms of sailing and take approximately 3 months. By doing so the Flipflopi will become the worlds single most recognisable emblem of the global fight against single use plastics!
On January 10, 2019 a traditional dhow sailing boat made entirely from plastic trash collected from Kenya’s beaches and towns will make its maiden voyage later this month from Lamu in Kenya to Zanzibar in Tanzania – a 500-kilometre expedition stopping at communities along the way to change mindsets about plastic waste.
The FlipFlopi is a first-of-its-kind, 9-metre sailing boat made from 10 tonnes of discarded plastic. It has been built by a team calling for a #PlasticRevolution to stem the flow of up to 12 million tons of plastic waste dumped into the world’s oceans each year and to highlight the potential for plastic waste to be re-used.
Departing from Lamu on the Kenyan coast on 24th January 2019, the FlipFlopi will sail south along the coasts of Kenya stopping in Watamu, Kilifi, Mombasa and Diani, before crossing into northern Tanzania with planned stops on Pemba Island, and onwards into Stone Town, Zanzibar. The voyage will take between 12 and 14 days.
The Flipflopi team will be visiting schools, communities and government officials along the way sharing solutions and changing mindsets.
Because of the interesting points behind this initative, PIMI invites you to refer also to the following links:
http://www.theflipflopi.com/the-expedition/
http://www.theflipflopi.com/the-flipflopi-dhow/
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