The Gambia’s ‘Queen of Recycling’

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 13 March 2025

⏱️ 11 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In 1997, Isatou Ceesay, who lives in The Gambia had an idea to make bags and purses out of old discarded plastic.

Her idea to help the environment started with a group of five women and has grown to become a national project that supports women in the country to improve their skills and income.

She is now recognised worldwide for her environmental work and has become known in Africa as the ‘"Queen of Recycling".

Isatou tells Gill Kearsley her story.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Photo: Isatou Ceesay. Credit: BBC)

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, you're about to listen to a BBC podcast, so I'd like to tell you where you'll find more just like it.
0:05.6	I'm Izzy Lee Poulton, an assistant commissioner for BBC Sounds, which means I'm involved in the whole podcast making process.
0:12.2	Whether that's developing fresh formats or facilitating eye-catching artwork, I helped project manage all the details that make our podcast stand out.
0:19.7	At the BBC, we've got access to storytellers and experts across a huge range of subjects.
0:24.4	It could be psychologists, comedians, celebrities or journalists.
0:28.6	No podcasts or day looks the same here.
0:31.6	So no matter what you like, check out BBC Sounds.
0:34.1	There's probably another podcast on there that you're absolutely love.
0:41.9	Music sounds. There's probably another podcast on there that you're absolutely love. Hello and welcome to the witness history podcast from the BBC World Service with me,
0:47.2	Jill Kursley. I'm taking you back to 1997 when a woman from the Gambia, who is known today as Africa's Queen of Recycling,
0:57.4	started to think about how she could change the world.
1:01.0	She just stand up and shout and then come and grab me and said, my sister, I'm so happy today.
1:07.2	I believe that your journey is a true one.
1:09.8	And she was like, beat the drum for me, I want to
1:12.0	dance. And she was dancing, our local dancing. She was dancing and, you know, jumping and, you know,
1:17.0	rolling herself on the floor and doing anything that people laugh. It was amazing. I would be very
1:21.4	happy if I would have that time a good camera and then I can play to the world so that people
1:26.3	see how she was doing it.
1:28.8	Meet Isatu Sise, who lives in the Gambia, which is the smallest country on Africa's mainland.
1:36.2	She's remembering the time when her sister sold a purse made out of old bits of plastic.
1:42.1	This is the story of how Isatou started with a small idea
1:45.7	to help the environment and has gone on to form the Women's Initiative, Gambia, a national
	...

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