In 2022, I travelled around southern Africa to meet local communities affected by climate change. This sculpture is inspired by the testimonies I’ve collected during this artistic research travel (click here to know more). 

Salima is the region of Malawi most affected by climate change. I accompanied the NGO Green girls platform, which aims to empower women by making them independent and informing them of their rights. These women look after the crops, harvest the maize and take responsibility for the household and its inhabitants. During my visit, they told me that most of their husbands leave the country to work in the South African mines to earn a bit of money. Flash floods and cyclones ravage the region every year, causing major crop losses, leading to seasonal famine and sometimes death. These climatic events result in huge losses of income for families, who sometimes have to marry off their young daughters against their will in order to have one less mouth to feed. Malnutrition also leads to a range of health problems linked to weakened immune systems.

During droughts or floods, it is customary for communities to plant a seed of maize in the graves. They believe that the dead are closest to the gods and can therefore better negotiate with them to stop the rain/drought.

This sculpture represents a maize plant growing in a grave where the earth has dried out. The faces of the women I photographed are painted on the leaves of the maize plant. The corn plant, made of steel, is oxidised and burnt, giving it an orange and black colour. I should point out that I asked permission from the community and the NGO to create a work representing a custom linked to their beliefs.

1m high, 40cm wide, 60cm long
Clay, plaster, sand, steel