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Project · Africa

South Africa

A city invited to share its vision of the future, and one idea became a mural in Johannesburg.

A tall mural on the side of a Johannesburg building shows a figure in blue with raised arms, surrounded by colourful speech bubbles.
Can't change the past, but we can start now, Osval and Ras Silas Motse, from an idea by Zaheer Sooliman, Cuba and South Africa

Project facts

Where
Johannesburg, South Africa
When
Mural unveiled on 11 November
Partners
Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in South Africa, City of Joburg, Downtown Music Hub
Format
Competition, Exhibition

The question

What future do we need? We invited citizens of South Africa to share their vision, ideas and hopes, and they made themselves heard.

Aspiring artists, street artists, educators and professional cartoonists came together around those shared wishes for the future.

What we did

  1. 01

    Open call

    Citizens of Johannesburg sent in sketches and ideas about the future they need.

  2. 02

    Cartoons from around the world

    Many of the ideas were turned into cartoons by cartoonists across the globe.

  3. 03

    A panel decides

    A panel of Embassy staff, award-winning cartoonists, the Downtown Music Hub, street artist Ras Silas Motse and the Joburg Inner City Partnership chose the winning ideas.

  4. 04

    The mural

    Zaheer Sooliman's idea became a mural on the wall of the Downtown Music Hub, co-created by Cuban cartoonist Osval and street artist Ras Silas Motse.

  5. 05

    Unveiling

    Cartoonist Zapiro unveiled the mural at the #cocreateMyCITY event on 11 November.

Cartoon gallery

  • A child with a thought bubble of colourful speech clouds hugs the globe while chained to heavy weights.
    Fostering positivity, Bahram Arjmandnia, Iran
  • A small boy paints a white dove on the bandaged leg of a soldier in a wheelchair.
    One blood, one heart, one nation = South Africa, Bahram Arjmandnia, Iran
  • A huge armoured creature with claws stands under a dark red sky.
    Sky face, Bahram Arjmandnia, Iran

Results

  • A mural on the wall of the Downtown Music Hub in Johannesburg.
  • All sketches from the call stay online, so the voices of young South Africans keep reaching decision makers.

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