Renowned Nigerian artist and social innovator Adetunwase Adenle, a four-time Guinness World Record holder, has launched a powerful new art initiative celebrating 222 CNN journalists and anchors for their courageous work in exposing modern-day slavery, human trafficking, and human rights abuses across the world.
Newsonspot reports that the initiative, unveiled in Lagos as part of this year’s My Freedom Day observance, is being delivered through the Slum Art Foundation, with support from the Lagos State Government and private sector partners.
222 Portraits, One Global Message
At the heart of the project is a collection of 222 hand-crafted collage portraits, created entirely from discarded magazines. Adenle said the artworks are designed to reflect stories of freedom, accountability, and resistance against exploitation, while also proving how creativity can transform waste into meaningful impact.
According to him, the project is a tribute to CNN journalists whose investigative reporting and frontline coverage have sustained global attention on forced labour, conflict, displacement, and trafficking for more than a decade.
Among those honoured are prominent media figures such as Christiane Amanpour, Anderson Cooper, Clarissa Ward, Don Lemon, and Jake Tapper, whose reporting has featured strongly in My Freedom Day coverage and wider human rights storytelling.
“This artwork is a heartfelt thank you to every reporter and anchor who continues to stand on the frontlines in the fight against modern-day slavery,” Adenle said.
“Through courageous storytelling and relentless reporting, they give a voice to the voiceless and shine a global light on injustice.”
More Than Art: A Real Community Intervention
Beyond symbolism, the initiative is structured as a practical social impact intervention. Adenle revealed that proceeds and partnerships linked to the 222 collage portraits will support the construction of two major projects currently in development at Ijora Badia, Lagos:
A new PET Bottle School
Nigeria’s first community-based AI animation studio
The facilities are expected to provide 100 per cent free education and digital skills training for children in underserved communities, helping remove vulnerable children from the streets and equipping them with future-ready creative and technological skills.
How the PET Bottle School Model Works
Slum Art Foundation has previously implemented a PET Bottle School system where access to education was tied to environmental responsibility rather than tuition payments.
Under the model, pupils contributed five PET bottles daily instead of school fees, promoting recycling while guaranteeing learning opportunities for children who may otherwise be excluded.
The foundation is now expanding the model to include more structured systems such as:
• waste management frameworks
• carbon credit structures
• environmental governance mechanisms
These are being positioned as alternatives to traditional school fees, embedding Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles directly into grassroots education.
Under the expanded plan, waste collection becomes measurable environmental value, carbon credits help fund education, and climate action becomes a direct pathway to learning opportunities.
“Education should never cost a child their freedom,” Adenle said.
“By turning waste and carbon impact into school fees, we are building a system where sustainability pays for education.”
Jobs, Inclusion and Climate-Driven Impact
Organisers also said the project is expected to create jobs across several sectors, including:
• art and creative production
• recycling and waste management
• construction
• education
•digital content production
They noted that the initiative demonstrates how climate action can drive economic inclusion while reducing the vulnerabilities that often lead to exploitation.
A Call for Support
My Freedom Day is a global observance focused on raising awareness about forced labour and trafficking. For Adenle and the Slum Art Foundation, freedom begins with access to education, climate justice, and giving every child the right to be heard.
“I use art to give children a voice,” Adenle said.
“When a child learns in a school built from waste and creativity, they understand from day one that their life, their story and their future matter.”
The foundation has called on governments, private organisations, climate partners, ESG leaders, and members of the global creative community to support the completion of the PET Bottle School and AI animation studio, back waste-to-education and carbon credit programmes, and promote education and climate justice through responsible storytelling.
Founded in 2018, the Slum Art Foundation is a social impact organisation using art to advance education, environmental sustainability, and human rights advocacy, transforming waste into classrooms and creativity into opportunity.
