The Streets Are My Canvas: Road Mural Festival – A Celebration of Art.
- Koki Rabanye
- Jul 29, 2021
- 5 min read
“He who works with his hands is a labourer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands and his head, and his heart is an artist” – Saint Francis of Assisi.
We wake up every day to a world full of noise, often surrounded by a sea of news presented to us through radio, newspapers, television and even the internet about world crises, wars, plagues, and killings, that we become distracted and end up forgetting to see the brighter things in life.
Art is a form of expression where individuals can unleash their creativity to its fullest potential, it goes beyond the boundaries of society by visually illustrating the hidden beauty of reality. Through the lens of our sombre reality, especially with the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic, one individual provides a colourful outlook in a world that needs it.
34-year-old, Odirile Majatladi, born and raised in Mahikeng shares his story on how he created and organised the Sekame Road Mural Festival to ‘paint up’ the streets of Mahikeng.
The manifestation of the Road Mural Festival began with Mr Majatladi’s backstory when he would travel from his home in Unit 5 to the Mmabatho Community Library in Unit 1, where the blank walls would stand, “I used to like taking a walk from Unit 5 to go to the Library in Unit 1, and I always used to pass by that wall and used to like - not make me angry but inspire me instead” he says. It was then the concept of the mural festival was born.
As a creative at heart, Odirile got to work, started researching about mural festivals around the world and got into touch with a mentor where he went through training, seeing the potential the idea could hold, “I reached out to the Cape Town International Mural Festival, organised by Baz Art. They agreed to mentor me, this year actually – taking me through to their festival in February where I went with Thato Seboko. So basically, where I was being taught the business side, the admin side, the behind-the-scenes side of the festival, while Thato got to work and paint at the festival” he says.
Mr Majatladi talks more into the logistics of the festival, explaining that the process of getting approval to start painting was taxing but worth it, “With the current wall that we’re painting right now, that is owned by Public works and roads – it took 2 and half years to get permission to paint on the wall…”. Odirile adds on to the financial matters related to the project, issues of funding and identifying suppliers for art supplies such as paint, might have been a problem due to current circumstances but did not extinguish the burning passion of an artist nor stop Odirile’s plan, “Our budget was cut in half but that did not lessen the size of the wall” he says. Luckily for this ambitious project, Odirile says that he managed to find a supplier, Dulux which came on board to supply him and the artists with paint whilst the project itself is being funded by the National Arts and Culture Trust.
During the interview, Odirile takes a deeper dive into the purpose and future goals of the festival, hoping to expand and start painting in various locations in Mahikeng, “We are seeing this as tier 1, we want to eventually paint other areas in Mahikeng where it will eventually become a tour. Whether you are from Joburg, or Durban or wherever, you can come to Mahikeng and spend a day on a bicycle, walking or in a car, going around the community to view art in a public space” he says. The festival ultimately aims to revamp Mahikeng, turning the old buildings around the community into beautiful works of art, “The first thing for me is beautification – we have old, dilapidated buildings in Mahikeng, so instead of rebuilding it, why not paint it in a beautiful way”. In addition, the festival aims to benefit Mahikeng by turning the city into a tourist destination, to not only show visitors artwork but also encourages economic growth and community development, “We also encourage different sectors in the community, whether you’re a fashion designer or a chef, those guests will be able to visit your shop and view what you do – so it’s basically helping all creatives in Mahikeng” he says.
Odirile also emphasizes the essence of the festival – he stresses that it is more than just painting on a wall, it is about providing a rising platform for artists in the community to showcase their talent, “We want this event to actually unearth the talent we have here at home…”. He also adds that this festival gives artists in Mahikeng a support system by creating an opportunity for them to portray their work and gain recognition, “Another thing is that Mahikeng does not have an art gallery, so we’re giving the community of Mahikeng a chance to view art in a normal space – get dressed up, take 10 minutes to just look at art. Also, artists here don’t get much exposure, so because we’re registered with various art galleries and festivals around the world, after the mural festival is done, we’ll submit their portfolios to different festivals and galleries around the world. Already with Baz Art – the Cape Town International Mural Festival they will take a couple of artists to their festival” he says.
Apart from elaborating on the importance of the festival, Odirile highlights some of the critiques, prejudices, and misinterpretations some community members might have towards the project – particularly the issue of art versus vandalism, “Because it is street art after all – we see challenges where people don’t understand what is going on and we want to educate them as well. We had a comment where someone said that they only see painted cartoon characters, the person who commented is not aware that a 9-year-old child is the one who painted that very cartoon character, obviously a 9-year-old child would relate to that. And because the wall we’re painting at is owned by government, we are not allowed to paint anything political, anything religious – we have a lot of boundaries set for us, so we couldn’t actually give the artists a theme because it is the first time for many of the artists there painting on a wall so big. We wanted them to feel free to express themselves, so through this, they’re learning and growing as well…” he says.
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Artists painting at the wall by old parliament on Sekame Road.
In terms of participants and reach, Odirile says that the festival is yielding good results so far but still hopes for more, “we have 7 school children that have painted, and I would say 22 adult artists. The beautiful thing about this festival is the little stories behind each piece. We have a mother and daughter team that are painting at the wall, two girls who are friends and classmates that are also painting a piece together and a lady who lived in Brazil for some time and if you look at her artwork it actually reflects that…” he says.
Concerning COVID-19 health regulations, Odirile mentions that they are complying with all safety regulations in place, making sure that all the artists are social distancing and always have their masks on.
Odirile offers words of advice to aspiring artists who may be shy or feel that their work is not good enough, “Do not wait for anybody or for any organisation to help you, you have to take the first step. If you see people doing what you like to do, go to them - and just be you, do not be shy” he says.
If you are interested in taking part in the Road Mural Festival or simply want to get in touch, Odirile Majatladi’s contact information is as follows:
Phone: 073 858 6473
Inspirational!🥳
Talented people here👏👏 hope this project goes somewhere and doesn't stop dead center
Really nice initiative these guys are doing here! Should help the community of Mahikeng
Nice article!