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A group of twelve female waste pickers from Kisumu, western Kenya, will step onto the stage of the Kenya Cultural Centre in Nairobi this Saturday (6^th December) to perform a new piece of participatory theatre that highlights the hidden labour, gendered inequalities and everyday dangers of their work.

The production, Wanawake Bomba - meaning Strong Women - has been developed by Professor Cressida Bowyer, Deputy Director of the Revolution Plastics Institute at the ���������� and will be performed to delegates and other groups attending the seventh 

Despite being responsible for recovering around 60 per cent of post-consumer plastic waste globally, waste pickers, estimated to number more than 20 million worldwide, remain largely invisible in national and international policy debates. Many work in hazardous conditions, face irregular and unregulated pay, and receive little official recognition for the essential environmental service they provide.

Women contend with a further layer of disadvantage, from gender pay gaps and harassment to the pressures of balancing informal work with domestic responsibilities. Waste pickers have been excluded from much of the Global Plastic Treaty negotiations, even though the outcomes of these debates will determine their livelihoods.

The performance is a result of a four-day workshop held in Kisumu during this week, led by Professor Cressida Bowyer, together with PhD student Grace Chege, John Chweya and members of the , and theatre practitioners from Nairobi’s Social Justice Centre Travelling Theatre (SJCTT).

Working collaboratively, the female waste pickers took on the role of actors as they pieced together scenes drawn from their own lives. These include gender pay gaps, social inequalities between male and female waste pickers, harassment and bullying, and additional burdens for females due to family responsibilities. The first two scenes focus on specific issues encountered during household collection and when picking at the dumpsite. The third scene portrays a board meeting of the all-female collective Wanawake Bomba as they introduce two new members and describes how the group have overcome some of these challenges.

The piece does more than document hardship. It invites the audience, UNEA delegates, policymakers and members of the public, to interact with the actors, ask questions and explore alternative scenarios. The aim is not just to share their life stories but inform those with decision-making power to confront the human consequences of the policies they debate. Following the performance, the actors and facilitators will guide a discussion on possible solutions, from safer working conditions to fairer integration of waste pickers into waste management systems.

Professor Bowyer, Deputy Director of the Revolution Plastics Institute, said: “Waste pickers are experts in the realities of plastic waste, yet their voices are rarely heard in the rooms where decisions are made. This performance is a powerful reminder that any global debates must include the knowledge, needs and aspirations of those who handle our waste every day. These women carry an enormous burden, which is environmental, economic and emotional - and they deserve recognition and action.”

Wanawake Bomba will be performed at the Kenya Cultural Centre in Nairobi. The project is delivered in collaboration with Empower Grassroots Organisation, the Social Justice Centre Travelling Theatre and the Kisumu Waste Pickers Welfare Association and is endorsed by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Centre for Environmental Justice and Development, and Grid-Arendal.