What We Make From What We Have
by Thabang Makgakwe
I come from Dennilton Marapong, a place where dust meets dreams and where people make a plan with what they have. Growing up there taught me one thing: creativity is not about money, it’s about mindset. We were raised to make things work, to fix before we throw away, and to always see value in what others might call waste.
My mother used to collect old fabrics, tins, and plastic. She didn’t see them as rubbish. To her, they were materials waiting to be transformed. She would sit outside with her needle and thread, patching together pieces of fabric to make skirts, mats, and even curtains. She said, “When your hands are busy, your mind is healing.” That stayed with me.
One day, I decided to join her. We started creating small art pieces using whatever we could find bottle caps, wire, old beads, cloth. It wasn’t about money or showing off. It was about being resourceful, about turning what we had into something beautiful. My friend Nelson joined us too. Together, we made clothing pieces and art inspired by recycling. We laughed, we experimented, and sometimes we failed, but we kept trying.
Those moments with my mother and Nelson taught me more than any classroom could. They showed me that recycling is not just about cleaning the environment , it’s about mental adaptation. It’s about changing how we see the world around us. It’s a mindset that says: “I can make something from nothing.”
As I grew older, I started using art to educate others. I work with young people in my community and in schools, teaching them how recycling connects to creativity, sustainability, and pride in African solutions. We make art, we talk about waste, and we share stories. I tell them, “Every can, every plastic, every fabric scrap has a second chance — just like us.”
I also create virtual art , digital pieces that tell African stories using recycled concepts. My virtual exhibitions show how materials, culture, and memory connect. I use visuals of the items my mother and I made, and I build digital artworks around them giving them a second life online. It’s my way of preserving our story, and the stories of others who find beauty in what is broken.
When I speak to people about recycling, I don’t use big words. I tell the truth. I tell them about the times I couldn’t afford art materials, but I still wanted to create. So I collected things from the streets , bottle tops, wires, cardboard. I made portraits, and even props for short films. That’s how Peu Creations was born a dream that started with what I already had.
Sometimes, people think recycling is just a trend or something for the city, but I’ve seen how it can change lives in villages. When we recycle, we don’t just reduce waste we create opportunity. I’ve seen young people make school bags from denim scraps, decorations from cans, and jewelry from old magazines. It’s more than art it’s survival, it’s innovation, it’s identity.
I educate because I’ve seen what creativity can do. I’ve seen shy young people stand tall after finishing their first artwork. I’ve seen communities come together to clean spaces and then build something meaningful from the materials they collected. That’s why I continue to use my art to raise awareness about recycling not just for the environment, but for the mind and the soul.
Recycling teaches patience. It teaches you to look at life differently. It’s a reflection of who we are as Africans people who turn struggle into strength. Every recycled piece tells a story: of hands that worked, of people who cared, of ideas that refused to die.
When I create, I remember the sound of my mother’s sewing , the smell of dust after rain, and Nelson’s laughter when we turned a pile of waste into something meaningful. Those memories remind me that change begins at home with what we already have, with who we already are.
Today, I still carry that same lesson in my art and education work. Whether it’s through virtual exhibitions, community workshops, or visual storytelling, I keep reminding others: Recycling is not just about waste; it’s about hope.
Hope that we can rebuild.
Hope that we can adapt.
Hope that we can protect our land one creation at a time.
That’s what I do. That’s who I am.
I am Thabang Makgakwe , a South African artist who educates, creates, and believes in turning what we have into what we need.
About
Thabang Makgakwe is a South African artist, filmmaker, and environmental educator passionate about using creativity to drive climate awareness and community empowerment. A Global Citizen Alumni and Greenpeace Africa volunteer, he blends storytelling, art, and environmental advocacy to inspire sustainable thinking.
He is the founder of Peu Creatives, a production company that uses film and media to highlight social and environmental issues, and Peu Ya Afrika, a virtual art brand dedicated to climate education through artistic expression. Growing up in Dennilton Marapong, Limpopo, Thabang learned from his mother and community how to transform limited resources into beauty and meaning,a lesson that shapes his work today.
Through his art and workshops, he encourages recycling, creative reuse, and storytelling as tools for both personal and planetary healing. His vision is rooted in Ubuntu, the belief that humanity and nature thrive together when we act with care, creativity, and purpose.