Karachi artists reclaim city walls from hate graffiti
For years Karachi's walls have been spattered with the bloodstains of murder victims and scrawled with graffiti touting everything from sectarian hatred to quack cures for erectile dysfunction.- "When you see positive things around you so your behaviour becomes positive and a big change comes along in one's life." (Photo: Twitter)
- Schoolchildren have also been made part of the project, in the hope of shifting a sense of ownership of the city and its appearance on to the younger generations.(Photo: Twitter)
- The project's coordinator Adeela Suleman said she was delighted the work had brought a "less hostile" look. (Photo: Twitter)
- Aside from daily murders, Karachi was hit by two major terror attacks in just over a year. (Photo: Twitter)
- Flamboyant, brightly coloured paintings of peacocks and elephants have not only radically changed the feel of Karachi but have also drawn foreigners, who usually move with extreme caution around what is a volatile city. (Photo: Twitter)
- Pakistan boasts some talented young artists, but public art is rare.
- The scheme is being run by I Am Karachi, a charity working for the cultural, social and literary uplift of the city, backed by funds from the US Agency for International Development.
- With help from the city authorities to get the permission they need, they aim to repaint walls in 1,600 different places -- from warehouses to schools to flyovers and underpasses.
- Those behind the new project, called "Reimaging the walls of Karachi" hope that by taking art to the streets they can bring a more positive outlook for its 20 million inhabitants.
- Karachi, Pakistan's economic capital and biggest metropolis, has been swamped in recent years by a wave of extortion, murder and kidnapping -- for religious, criminal, ethnic and political reasons.
- Now a group of artists and volunteers are reclaiming the walls by painting them with cheerful designs aimed at bringing some happiness and pride back to an often violent, chaotic and corrupt city.
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For years Karachi's walls have been spattered with the bloodstains of murder victims and scrawled with graffiti touting everything from sectarian hatred to quack cures for erectile dysfunction.
Karachi artists reclaim city walls from hate graffiti
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