8TH INTERNATIONAL ISRAELI APARTHEID WEEK

5th-11th March 2012

Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) is an annual international series of events (including rallies, lectures, cultural performances, film screenings and multimedia displays) held in cities and campuses across the globe. IAW seeks to raise awareness about Israel’s apartheid policies towards the Palestinians and to mobilize support for the growing Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.

During IAW 2012, artists and activists around the world are staging events in protest of this continued crime against humanity, as well as raising awareness and consciousness about the oppression of the Palestinian people.

This is a focussed movement of peaceful protest action, directed not at Israelis, but specifically at the racist apartheid government of Israel.

In conjunction with IAW, Gangs of Graffiti called on similarly-minded street artists and graffiti writers to promote the Palestinian cause and raise awareness around the fight for human rights that ensues daily within Israel and the Occupied Territories, by creating work with FREE PALESTINE as the theme. 

Here’s what is happening on the Durban side…

Pre-school situated on campus, UKZN, Durban South Africa

Artist name: IWOKE

Inspired by Durban’s legal aerosol squad PAINT THE FUTURE (PTF) is open to any and all 031 ‘aerosolistas.’ PAINTING A FUTURE is a Gangs of Graffiti and Step Up Gallery initiative with simple enough objectives: painting big beautiful walls for schools and shelters and other places of refuge, using our art to recognize the role these institutions play in our society and promoting their work by rewarding them with this unique type of recognition. We’re promoting a professional approach to producing murals and productions from participating artists, to develop our art as a professional pursuit, a career choice as well as a passion.

Wanna paint?

Step 1 – secure a wall: approach a school or a shelter in your area, or that you know of, which would appreciate some stylish paint work and get them to agree

Step 2 – produce a proper plan, including a sketch and some specs of the wall (get a few before shots, measure the space out, play with some ideas in your blackbook)

Step 3 – hit us up at Gangs of Graffiti with the plan and the details of the space and we will hook you up with some paint

Step 4 – rock it!

Step 5 – Send us photos of the finished work and we will blog it and publicize it, far and wide…

I have in honest truth never really been introduced to the culture of graffiti. Not that I don’t like it – it is art – and art is in the end in the eye of the beholder. But I do live for culture, such as skateboarding and surfing where “normality” and the every-Saturday-rugby-scene are not appealing at all. I used to skate, but being a mother and having a career, the body doesn’t seem to fit these days. My own fault of course.

I met one of those involved, spoke to him. And it has been a while since I befriended someone (as most publications in relation hereto would state as “youngster”), who has such good manners and personality… And being described as a vandal and branded as a criminal just doesn’t suit AT ALL! You know that he is after all (as most of the group or maybe even all) an honest working person as well.

But what really saddens me is the fact that I published some poetry and that he actually asked me about it – but never even mentioned the fact that he is so talented himself. If the actions were intended to “destroy and destruct” the city walls, don’t they honestly think these “illicit gang members” would go about bragging? But now their right to their talent is being denied. And silence must prevail … And the label he must carry is as a vandal and nihilist.

I work with REAL criminals quite often and the CHARGES the Metro wants to impose are highly misplaced and I will personally strive to get him the best legal help in my ability as possible, which proper defense all of them deserve!

- Meanie Van der Walt

(Images courtesy of Philip Botha.)

Link to the Facebook event here.

So I get it.  I break it down, making letters that resemble the Malayalam language from Southern India where we started.  The letters say IWOKE, meaning ‘Seek the sun – find the light – open the eye”.  People dig it, especially the religious heads we meetup with while getting busy.  I learn the importance of color in the lives of most locals and thank Jo again for throwing a can of red into my small mix.  I thank the 1UP crew from Germany, I saw work of theirs in GOA, they used a rad splatter fiill technique that I take a hearty bite out of.  The cans play funny but the brushes work just fine.  Pepsi and suntan lotion has me hallucinating that I am on a beach somewhere, kicking back in some sweaty art life living with my wife working the brush with me.  Brushes and some extra solid grey aerosol give up some clouds and characters, and saving the black for last means I can make it as crisp as possible.  The result is a kind of sticker style ‘street art’ piece with all the energy and color of the day that the deed got done.  Seriously, I was willing to paint with a toothbrush and turpentine, so what actually transpired was beyond anything I could have hoped for.

Special mention to my character inspiration Craig ‘FALKO STARR’ from back home.  I saw him in Durban this year and he tripped out on India and how he wanted to get there.  He should.  He would burn these walls left right and centre.  I left him a welcome message for the day he arrives, “Walls for Africa!” which basically means enoough walls for everyone.

Graff writers talk about ‘getting up’ as in getting your name out there, painting a wall, being recognized by your name and style.  My wife pointed out that this wall translates as “IWOKE ‘UP’ in INDIA”.  She’s freakin’ clever.

Thank you Mumbai Wall Project again for this gift.

Shout outs to Sarah D (from AF Durban for making this happen) and all the heads back home who keep a man keeping on…WALLS FOR AFRICA!

Success!  R1500 through the door equals approximately 30 cans of premium paint, plus onetwo outside donations and the generous sponsorship of 100 CANS from Durbans premier underground art store STEP UP GALLERY (Sandy Centre, Pinetown), all together creating a thick rack of color to be lovingly and finely processed and produced upon our awaiting cityscape!

With performances by SPITMUNKY and JET WENTWORTH, customization from FINK and CADE, shirt stencilling from PTF Crew, and a host of heads nodding and chilling and celebrating the postponement of the trial of the 031 Aerosol 7, this evening was a fresh approach to catalization through cans and capitilization on cannisters…much respect to all involved in pulling this off…Durban stays fresh once again!