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Woven Fates

A portrait of a kayayei carrying a heavy sack of second-hand clothes, overlaid with the polluted shores of Jamestown Beach in Accra—a powerful reflection of how Western consumption continues to exploit both people and the environment in the Global South. Some kayayei carry bales as heavy as 55 kg, leading to severe injuries to their spines and necks.

Woven Fates

Natalija GormalovaPorNatalija Gormalova
5 de junho de 2025
em Portfólio

Selecionado no Prêmio Portfólio FotoDoc 2025

Woven Fates is an ongoing multimedia documentary project exploring the devastating impact of textile waste pollution in Ghana. Through the stories of kayayei women—head porters who bear the physical and economic burden—the project reveals the intersection of environmental injustice, colonial legacies, and gender inequality while highlighting their resilience and fight for dignity amid hardship.

Driven by fast fashion overconsumption in the Global North, Ghana has become a major importer of second-hand clothing, known locally as obroni wawu or “dead white man’s clothes.” This influx is a direct legacy of fashion colonialism—where Western overproduction and consumer waste are offloaded onto the Global South under the guise of charity and trade. While Kantamanto market sustains thousands of traders, transporters, and tailors, the environmental toll is immense—low-quality garments quickly become waste, overwhelming landfills and polluting coastal ecosystems.
At the heart of this crisis are the kayayei—young women who migrate to Accra due to climate change, economic hardship, and lack of opportunities in northern Ghana. They earn meager wages carrying bales of second-hand clothes, sometimes weighing over 55 kg, leading to long- term spinal injuries. Their struggle embodies broader issues of gender inequality, poverty, and urban hardship.

Kayayei live in Agbogbloshie, Accra’s largest slum and one of the world’s biggest e-waste dumping sites, where textile and plastic waste compound pollution. Burning e-waste releases toxic chemicals, contaminating air, soil, and water, causing severe health conditions such as respiratory problems, cancer, and neurological disorders.

In early 2025, a devastating fire destroyed much of Kantamanto market, leaving over 10,000 businesses in ruins and countless livelihoods at risk. For the kayayei, this tragedy means losing their ability to support themselves and their families, adding to an already uncertain future. Through layered portraits of kayayei women, polluted landscapes of Accra’s beaches, and burned remains of Kantamanto market, Woven Fates exposes the intersection of fast fashion, colonial legacies, and environmental injustice, revealing how Western consumption patterns continue to exploit and burden nature and people in the Global South.

The Kantamanto Market, situated in the central business district of Accra, is Ghana’s largest second-hand clothes market, with around 30,000 traders. Every week, Kantamanto Market in Accra receives approximately 15 million pieces of second-hand clothing from the Global North.
Isaac has been ironing clothes for over 30 years at Kantamanto second-hand clothes market in Accra. He uses an old cast iron that has been heated on hot coals.
This is heavily polluted Jamestown Beach in Accra. The textile waste, often originating from the nearby market Kantamanto, accumulates alongside plastic trash, contaminating the sand and water. The relentless tide brings in more waste each day, further exacerbating the pollution.
Kids are walking on the heavily polluted Jamestown Beach in Accra, littered with textile waste and plastic debris. Local fishing communities are struggling as the polluted waters affect fish populations, and the hazardous conditions threaten their health and livelihoods.
Rahina, a kayayei, takes a brief moment to rest after carrying a heavy bale under the scorching heat of Accra. She describes the city’s pollution as suffocating and dreams of returning to her village in the North, hoping to save enough to start her own business.
Saida, a kayayei at Kantamanto market, carries heavy loads that strain her neck and spine, leaving her in constant pain. Despite the physical toll, she endures the hardship to support her family and send money to her child in the North, driven by the need to provide a better future.
Kayayei sisters Rahina and 11-year-old Rafia live in Agbogbloshie, Accra’s largest slum and one of the world’s biggest e-waste dumping sites. Each day, burning e-waste releases toxic chemicals, leading to severe health issues like respiratory problems, cancer, and neurological disorders. Aware of the risks, the sisters remain, as it is the only place they can afford to live in Accra.
A cow rests atop a man-made mountain of waste in the heart of Agbogbloshie, a densely populated slum, home to an estimated 80,000 residents.
In the cramped space of a single room in Agbogbloshie slum, Rahina braids her friend’s hair, one of ten kayayei girls sharing the tiny quarters.
Sadiq, a young man who migrated from northern Ghana to work at Agbogbloshie in Accra, one of the world’s largest e-waste dumping sites. He burns electronic waste to extract valuable metals, primarily copper, which he then sells for a small income.
A rubbish collector carries trash to the top of a sprawling man-made mountain of waste in the center of the densely populated Agbogbloshie slum.
Traders and kayayei at Kantamanto market sift through the ashes, searching for anything they can salvage after a devastating fire ravaged the market earlier this year, leaving over 10,000 businesses in ruins.
Kayayei watch the fire burning Kantamanto market, balancing empty bowls on their heads, a poignant symbol of the uncertainty and hardship they now face.
Hardworking hands of kayayei and the burnt remnants of bookkeeping — prayers, sales records, and dreams of a better future—reduced to ashes by the devastating fire. Despite the destruction, the Kantamanto community stands united, determined to rebuild the market again.

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Natalija Gormalova

Natalija Gormalova

Natalija Gormalova is a visual artist, documentary photographer, and filmmaker based in Accra, Ghana. Her work delves into critical global issues, including women’s rights, environmental challenges, migration, memory, mental health, and identity. Through her lens, Natalija explores the complexities of life and narratives that unveil the intricacies of our shared humanity, nurturing empathy, understanding, and dialogue across diverse cultures and contexts. Originally from Latvia, Natalija moved to London at the age of 17 to pursue her passion for art. She studied at the London College of Communication and later earned a Master’s degree in Photography from the Royal College of Art. Since 2015, Natalija has been creating impactful work across Africa, shaped by her experiences living in diverse cultures. In Accra, Natalija is a member of Nuku Studio, a community fostering photographic practice and research. For nearly five years, Natalija worked as a stringer and special assignments photographer for Agence France-Presse (AFP) and the Associated Press (AP), contributing powerful visual narratives to internationally recognized publications. In addition to photography, Natalija explores storytelling through filmmaking. Her debut short film, Spirits We Dance, portrays the lives of two disabled dancers in Accra, connecting their physical and spiritual worlds through movement. The film has earned international acclaim, winning awards such as Best Experimental Film at the Cannes Independent Film Festival and Best Director at the Montreal Independent Short Film Festival. Natalija’s approach to storytelling combines sensitivity and depth, revealing the complexities of human existence with dignity and care.

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