Nairobi — The Ukrainian Institute and cultural development agency Port will on March 16, 2023 present “Grains of Culture” – the final installment of The Wall project in Nairobi.
The Wall has already been presented in Vienna, Berlin, Marseille, and Brussels, and this final mural will bring together Ukrainian and Kenyan artists to showcase the idea of interaction and synergy between different cultures.
“Ukraine is dealing with an external demon. The Wall project allows us to discuss the world’s attitude towards Ukraine. We wish to rethink this idea and look at the mental and historical wall that separates us. And which must be eliminated so that we feel like a single community,” Katya Taylor, Port. CEO and founder, and curator of The Wall says.
The special guests for the opening event will be “Tvorchi,” a Ukrainian electronic duo who will represent Ukraine in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.
The Wall symbolizes resistance, stability, and armor that fences off the civilized world from war.
The project’s title refers to the Pink Floyd album “The Wall,” which tells the story of a hero behind a wall who must confront his inner demons.
“The murals are our response to Russian brutal aggression on the cultural front in the civil war which Putin has launched,” says Emine Dzhaparova, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
Since February 24, 2022, Russian invaders have damaged 514 cultural sites – at least 174 religious sites, 38 museums, 38 historic buildings, 38 buildings dedicated to cultural activities, 18 monuments, 10 libraries, and 2660 educational institutions,”
The six Ukrainian and Kenyan artists involved in the Nairobi project have created murals that depict symbols and ideas close to the hearts of both Ukrainian and Kenyan people.
“For our diplomatic relationships, Africa is a very important and still not explored continent for Ukraine. We are open to building friendship relationships here, in Kenya. I am sure that our artistic collaboration is a perfect opportunity to start our diplomatic relationships in a plane of culture,” says Nikita Kravtsov, an artist, and concept artist of the “Grains of Culture” mural in Nairobi.
The mural “Grains of Culture” explores three themes: the colonial past and post-colonial roles, the collapse of empires, and national identity and resilience.
The mural’s symbols of coffee and wheat grains are associated with the political, economic, and diplomatic relationships between Kenya and Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Institute and Port have received support from the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Kenya, the City Council of Nairobi, and the Phoenix House to bring this project to fruition.
Port is a cultural development agency that works on art and culture projects in Ukraine and abroad.
They have collaborated with organizations such as USAID, the Ukrainian Institute, the House of Europe, UN-Women, Unicef, MFA, MCIP, and Crimean Platform.
The Ukrainian Institute was founded in 2017 by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and is affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
It aims to promote Ukrainian culture and knowledge about Ukraine in foreign societies through discussion and dialogue.