Nairobi's sprawling Mathare district was transformed into an open-air gallery last weekend as the fourth edition of the East African Street Art Festival drew thousands of visitors and cemented Kenya's reputation as a continental hub for urban creativity.
More than 60 muralists from 18 African countries spent five days painting towering works across warehouse walls, school facades, and community centre gates. Themes ranged from climate resilience and youth unemployment to the preservation of indigenous languages and pan-African solidarity.
"Street art is not vandalism — it is the voice of the streets speaking back to power," said Kenyan artist Wanjiku Kamau, whose 20-metre mural depicting Wangari Maathai's Green Belt Movement attracted particular attention.
The festival also featured live music, poetry slams, and a curated exhibition of digital art from creators in Lagos, Dakar, Accra, and Khartoum. A dedicated programme for secondary school students offered workshops in spray technique, colour theory, and the history of African visual traditions.
Organisers reported that international galleries from London, Paris, and New York had approached several participating artists about representation and commission work — a sign that global interest in African urban art is accelerating.
Nairobi County Governor Johnson Sakaja attended the opening ceremony, pledging to designate ten additional public walls as permanent street art canvases. "This festival proves that culture is an engine of economic and social development," he said.
Next year's edition is planned to expand to Mombasa and Kisumu, with a new residency programme that will bring artists to live and work within the communities whose stories they tell.
