First mural art festival in Fumba Town
White is beautiful – at least in Zanzibar’s modern seaside town Fumba. Now, an inaugural mural art festival will add some artistic touches of colour to the town’s design.
London has it, Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro look brighter with it and soon it will add some vibrancy to Zanzibar, too. Mural art is coming to Fumba Town, the growing suburb near Zanzibar city, which has so far been known for the rather puristic, strictly white architecture of its bungalows and apartments, seaside and garden villas. A first “Wild Mural Festival” will bring touches of colour to the popular location.
“Fumba is a very new town”, said Tobias Dietzold, one of the directors of developer CPS, when introducing the idea, “and towns call for some creativity and diversity in their appearance.” But not to worry, he and the organisers of the planned festival, assured homeowners in twon: “The murals are going to be toned-down fine pieces of art.” No overpowering outdoor phantasies but a kind of a graffiti-light - legal and carefully curated. Ten large-scale murals are planned for public and private buildings. Artists from Zanzibar and all over East Africa are called to apply for painting the murals; they will be given a photo of the space available and asked to make a sketch (see sidebar). Home owners who are interested in decorating their house are also “welcome to come forward”, Dietzold said, adding: “Any painting will get prior approval.”
Carefully curated
The theme of the Zanzibar festival, “Our Environment”, focuses on ocean, wildlife and plant motifs. Featuring workshops, exhibitions and training, it is meant to raise awareness for nature protection: “We will paint nature back into a town’s scenery”, said one of the organisers, artist Victoria Firth.
“Street art and mural art are different”, Firth explained. While street art usually is graffiti sprayed in a large format, mural art is a large-scale painting applied directly to a wall in a public space. Murals are made with acrylic paints, sprays, stencils and mosaics. They come in many different styles, from abstract to florals, and are mostly predesigned and commissioned. Prominent artists such as Daim from Germany or Sonny Sundance from South Africa fetch USD 40,000 and more for a wall painting. Graffiti artist Banksy who has managed to stay anonymous is worth millions. Sealed with a special lacquer, wall paintings can last many years, said Firth. However, they can also be painted over by new works or be removed. Anybody interested in a preview can check out the Urban Care clinic in Fumba and the Archipelago restaurant in Stone Town which have recently added some beautiful light murals by Firth to their premises.
Call for artists
Artists are called upon to participate in the first “Wild Mural Festival” hosted by Fumba Town in Zanzibar.
During the two-week-long festival, selected artists, solo or in teams, will produce ten large-scale murals. There will also be room for sculptures and photography. Art exhibitions and workshops will complement the event.
Festival date: February 2025
Information:
thewildmuralprojects.com/festival
