“Madala Vaku Niassa” - Niassa Reserve, Mozambique



“Madala Vaku Niassa”, meaning the “ Elder of Niassa”, made by the Yao community and international artists in the Niassa Special Reserve, northern Mozambique. From april to septembre 2023, we have given life to a monumental sculpture of an elephant using materials coming from illegal activities collected for more than 15 years and wool.

Our goal: create awareness about the importance of conservation of our biodiversity and the impacts of poaching, show the grandiosity of Niassa Special Reserve, and represent the hope and resilience of the people of Niassa, their diversity and the fragility of our environment.

Madala weighs around 800kg, measuring 4.30m high, 7m long and 2.30m wide.

To create this beautiful art piece, we used:
1768 wool squares
684 wire snares
356 rope snares
133 gold panning basins
209 mining picks
171 bullets
4 rifles
3 AKM magazines
1 pair of poacher’s shoes
13 machetes
1 axe