By Benard Ogembo | ogembobenard@gmail.com
As the world negotiates a treaty to end plastic pollution, waste pickers who collect up to 60% of post-consumer plastic waste globally are demanding recognition and inclusion in the decision-making process. A powerful new theatre performance, Who Knows It Feels It, is helping amplify their voices.
Staged at the Academic Council of the United Nations System (ACUNS) annual conference on July 24, 2025, at the University of Nairobi, the play was performed by the Justice Travelling Theatre in collaboration with UK-based artists. It highlighted the lived experiences of waste pickers from Kenya’s informal settlements and aimed to influence policy by allowing delegates to see and feel the realities of life in the waste economy.
Theatre became more than entertainment was a form of advocacy. Known as legislative theatre, this approach allows communities to dramatize real-life issues and invite audiences, including policymakers, to take part in problem-solving on stage. Brazilian cultural activist Augusto Boal developed this form of participatory theatre to ensure that all people could be part of societal transformation.
Minoo Kyaa, a waste picker and actor from Mukuru Community Justice Centre, said, “We didn’t just act, we relived our struggles on stage. The experience was raw and real. It’s not just a play; it’s our life.” Audience members joined performers on stage to suggest and explore solutions, helping policymakers understand waste pickers’ challenges firsthand.
Creative arts expert Dr. Cressida Bowyer of the University of Portsmouth emphasized that art-based methods like theatre are effective in disrupting traditional research and policy hierarchies. “By using theatre, we’re making space for the voices of grassroots communities in global negotiations,” she said.
The University of Portsmouth, through its Revolution Plastics Institute, has worked in Kenya, India, and Bangladesh for nearly a decade, using art to address plastic pollution. Their focus includes promoting reuse systems to reduce plastic waste and environmental harm.
Globally, an estimated 15–20 million people are working in the informal waste economy. Despite their significant contribution, many face poor working conditions, health hazards, and low pay, often without recognition or support from formal systems. Waste pickers say they are left out of policies that affect their lives.
Solomon Njoroge, a waste picker from Dandora and chairperson of the Nairobi Recyclable Waste Welfare Association, says the play empowered him to speak up. “Art helps us communicate with people in power in a way they’ll listen. Theatre lets us show, not just tell, what we go through,” he said.
The performance called on negotiators preparing for the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC5.2) in Geneva from August 5–14, 2025, to ensure a fair and just transition for all waste pickers. This includes better pay, health protections, social benefits, and inclusion in policymaking, especially for women and people living with disabilities.
During the recent UN Ocean Conference, UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan stressed the need for equity in treaty implementation, warning that developing countries must not be left behind. “Plastic pollution is a development issue,” she said, pointing to its threat to livelihoods and trade compliance in coastal African nations.
Who Knows It Feels It was developed in a five-day workshop before the INC-3 talks and has since been performed four times, including at the Dandora dumpsite. Over 700 people have seen the show, including international delegates.
As attention turns to Geneva, waste pickers like Minoo and Solomon hope their message resonates. “This is about dignity and recognition,” said Solomon. “We need alternatives that protect and empower us, not just talk.”
