Cape Town - In honour of International Day of Climate Action, The Kingdom of the Netherlands in South Africa, in collaboration with youths in Philippi, unveiled a new mural on Thursday, highlighting the urgency of addressing climate change and water conservation in South Africa.
The masterpiece in Philippi Village was painted by acclaimed artist Breeze Yoko, a Cape Town-based multidisciplinary artist specialising in video, film and graffiti.
It was inspired by 20 learners from Sophumelela High School, Sinethemba High School and Dr Nelson R Mandela High School.
The mural was curated by the team at Soapbox SA, a social enterprise dedicated to behaviour change communications and consultancy.
The colourful artwork uses a visual vocabulary that addresses many different social and political issues.
Yoko said it took him two days to complete the mural and he was inspired by the learners as he tried to portray their information and energy.
“While I was painting the mural I tried to capture their ideas because they are passionate about protecting the environment and keeping out the negative elements and community problems they have.
“Climate change is a very important topic because it affects us everyday, without a healthy environment, it is difficult to focus and therefore it is good to have organisations who care about the environment.”
The learners were part of two workshops and were challenged to take pictures in their community to showcase how climate change affects their communities.
The pictures were developed into polaroids and became the visual brief for the wall mural.
Yolisa Dwadwa, 17, from Sophumelela High School, said: “Every day when we go to school we need to cross dirty waters because the burst drain pipes are a big issue and foul smells. We deal with not having proper sanitation because everywhere we go we need to cross the dirt first even when seeking medical assistance. We have people burning trash which contributes to pollution.
“I try my best by being very involved in any community project also at school.
“I don’t mind as long as I can make a change.
“I am very excited for people to see the murals and see our ideas into this piece.”
Creative director and founder of Soapbox SA, Ruben Hazelzet, said the mural is aimed to inspire the community and show visitors how climate change affects them.
“To have the learners involved and make them aware that they have a voice to make change is super important to me because if we inspire the youth at a young age, I hope they will pursue a purposeful career that contributes instead of breaks down.
“I am very happy with the mural, it is so beautiful and showcases the feeling that we need to protect all the beauty that is around us and if we do so we can have beautiful forests, fresh waters, food that is healthy and we can live in harmony with nature and the people around us.”
Cape Argus