“Meeting a graffiti artist from Hamburg was an eye-opener for me. It revealed that while the city is filled with graffiti art, it has two distinct sides. Most of the artworks are created without consent from the property owner or any authority, leading to graffiti often being labeled as illegal art. However, there are also renowned artists whose work is well-known and who create their art as part of legitimate projects.”
—Hafidhi Bakari, Graffiti Artists and Youth Program Manager at Wachata Crew, Dar es Salaam.
On Thursday, June 27th, participants visited a youth center (ZFJK) where Felix, a part-time graffiti artist, works to unite youth through art. Hafidhi, a graffiti artist from Dar es Salaam, joined Felix to plan and co-facilitate a workshop on drawing and spray painting. After a short overview and training on how to draw basic shapes and letters, participants practiced together on a mural, drawing and spraying bold text ‘Peace and Unity’.
Each participant was assigned a letter to work on. At the end of the session, the mural was completed with unique shapes and mixed colors representing each participant’s style and contribution to the mural project. Beside practicing making a mural, participants also learned the history of Graffiti, approaches to engaging youth, and addressing social issues through the arts.
