People in Kitintale Skatepark are entertained during the creation of murals with messages against domestic violence. PHOTO | ANDREW KAGGWA
The hip-hop-themed event brought to life all the other disciplines of hip hop culture such as graffiti, deejaying, spoken word, poetry, breakdancing, beatboxing and fashion. Silas Babaluku Balabyekubo said they chose to spotlight mural art and graffiti, which are elements of hip hop.
On Monday, the world started commemorating what is known as the 16 Days of Activism against domestic violence.
Different people and organisations observe the 16 days in their own way; some organise events and workshops, while artists usually do what they know best- making art. Rapper Silas ‘Babaluku’ Balabyekubo, together with the East Africa Visual Artists (EAVA), Human Rights are Universal and Kitintale Skatepark, joined forces to launch the Voices Mural Jam.
The hip-hop themed event brought to life all the other disciplines of hip-hop culture such as graffiti, deejaying, spoken word, poetry, breakdancing, beatboxing, and fashion, among others.
But it was the graffiti that was more pronounced since it was a day where murals were supposed to be the loudest form of art. A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling, or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti, and marouflage.
For this particular event, Fatuma Hassan and her Fatish Arts studio took on the role of collaborating with the community around the Kitintale Skatepark to create murals with messages against domestic violence.
With music and poetry from the speakers, Hassan started her work amid a drizzle; at the time, most of her team were struggling to keep a pattern since the rain partly washed down the colours after they had applied them.
Usually, she puts her murals on people’s fences and buildings; today, she was dealing with the walls of the skatepark; her picture is of a child and two adults in the background and a few beaten and old structures to depict the slum that Kitintale is.
“The picture features a child prominently because the effects of domestic abuse are usually felt by the children even when the fights may not be about them. It is a case of the grass suffering when two elephants fight,” Fatuma says. Kitintale, located on the outskirts of Kampala, is surrounded by modern residential settings. On top of the skatepark, for instance, it is easy to see plush hotels and apartments mushrooming.
