This week’s edition of the Upside looks at countries breaking free from the past

“The past is never dead. It’s not even past,” goes the Faulkner line. Sometimes the weight of our history – as individuals, families, nations – can slow down progress, discouraging us from finding solutions.

This week, we bring you tales of people looking for ways to escape their country’s past and break new ground.



India’s reputation on the environment has long been awful. The country makes headlines on everything from catastrophic air pollution to mountains of harmful rubbish. It is also one of the worst offenders when it comes to plastic waste, generating more than 25,000 tonnes of it every day. But now a chemistry professor in the southern city of Madurai may have found a practical solution for what to do with at least some of that plastic, as Kamala Thiagarajan reports.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Dr Rajagopalan Vasudevan has been conducting experiments in reusing plastics. Photograph: Kamala Thiagarajan

India has already vowed to abolish all single-use plastic by 2022, and officials have visited Norway to learn from their world-beating plastic bottle recycling system, under which 97% of all plastic drinks bottles are recycled. Matthew Taylor visited Oslo to report on the country’s remarkable success.

In Myanmar, political changes and economic growth has not meant improvements in the country’s poor record on women’s rights. In a country that has no word for vagina or laws against domestic violence, UN officials talk of a “silent emergency” of violence against women and girls. One doctor believes the path to empowerment lies in better sexual and reproductive health education. Libby Hogan reports from Yangon.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Dr Thet Su Htwe holds one of her reproductive health classes. Photograph: Libby Hogan

Ask most people what words they associate with the city of Mogadishu in Somalia and you’d probably hear some variation of the same themes: violence, bombings, terrorism, death. But after decades of civil war and despite persistent violence, there are seeds of hope: the economy is growing, investment is returning along with the diaspora and reconstruction continues. Abdalle Ahmed Mumin met the activists, entrepreneurs and artists forging a new path for the city.

What we liked

This New Statesmen piece on The Village, a project by the Scottish charity Social Bite, which aims to provide a path to stability for the long-term homeless.

The documentary film Shelter Me had its premiere at the Galway film fleadh in Ireland on Friday. It tells the story of the Home Sweet Home movement, which dramatically occupied an empty government building in Dublin to provide shelter for the city’s homeless community, stirring a public awakening.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Watch the trailer for the documentary Shelter Me

Good luck to our friends at the Constructive Journalism Network who have just launched their new website. And if you enjoy the Upside series then do have a listen to the excellent podcast Small Changes, a series of interviews with people from around the world who’ve solved problems big and small in their local communities (search for Small Changes in your podcast app).

What we heard

China won’t be accepting our plastic for recycling and we do not have the facilities to recycle ourselves. It’s going to be a big problem, this is an amazing possibility. Commenter selkieheather writing below the line on our story about plastic roads in India.



Something surprising, some good evidence to back it up and a good human story. Tom Colls, from BBC World Service, on what makes good solutions journalism, speaking at the newsrewired.com conference

Where was the upside?

In Addis Ababa, where Ethiopia and Eritrea formally restored relations after years of war and hostility. In Dublin, where Ireland became the world’s first country to divest from fossil fuels. And, of course, in northern Thailand, where the world’s favourite football team was dramatically rescued from a flooded cave complex.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Young Somalis enjoying a relaxed moment on Mogadishu’s Lido beach. Photograph: Mohamed Abdiwahab/AFP/Getty Images

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If there is a story, innovation or trailblazer you think we should report on, write to us at theupside@theguardian.com