This project began after completing my National Youth Service in Nigeria. Due to unforeseen circumstance, I found myself without a place to stay. Looking for shelter, I ended up spending several days and nights at Olusosun landfill, the largest dumpsite in Africa. There, I met waste miners — individuals who survive by reclaiming and selling materials from the dump. The condition of survival, yet their determination and humanity deeply moved me. What I saw at Olusosun, gave me a sense of responsibility: to tell their stories and challenge the ways we see them.
I like to explain why I called the protagonists of this ongoing body of work the ‘Guardians of Gaia’. In Greek mythology, Gaia is the personification of the Earth. I chose this name to highlight the environmental role these individuals play. While often dismissed or labeled as ‘scavengers’, they are in fact critical to waste recovery and recycling — fighting climate change in the most direct, overlooked way. They reduce landfill buildup, salvage reusable materials, and keep our overconsumption in check, often at great personal risk.
Olusosun receives over 10,000 tons of waste daily, including hazardous e-waste from around the world. Hundreds live and work inside the landfill with minimal access to healthcare, clean water, or safety. My photography aims to spotlight their resilience and humanity, and to reframe how society perceives them — not as invisible labourers, but as essential environmental stewards.
This work is far from over. I feel a deep calling to continue documenting their lives and advocating for dignity, recognition, and change. Photography is not just my creative practice — it’s my way of asking the world to see what it too often chooses to ignore.
