Abidjan’s Plateau district, the economic center of Ivory Coast, has embraced graffiti as a transformative art form, shedding its earlier stigma for the craft. Once viewed with disdain and subject to prosecution, graffiti now revitalizes the city’s urban spaces with vibrant murals. In November, the inaugural “Ivory Graff Graffiti Festival” attracted 40 local and international artists who spent two weeks transforming city walls into a 300-meter-long masterpiece. Consequently, murals now grace major thoroughfares and hotel exteriors, reshaping public perception of the art form. The festival’s organizer, Benjamin Le Lieve, expressed pride in the initiative, which has received widespread praise from passersby for enhancing the city’s aesthetics. This artistic revival marks a significant cultural shift, celebrating graffiti as a medium for urban renewal and expression.
SOURCE: REUTERS
