Driving Social Change Through the Creation of Public Murals and Youth Engagement

Reimagining art and the power it can drive, 2023 UN SDG Action Awards Changemaker Finalists Emmanuel Mushy and Nazir Atul, founders of Visual Aided Stories (VAS) Hub, transformed strong social messages into murals, catalyzing development in novel ways.

Based in Tanzania, VAS Hub uses arts and storytelling as a means for social change and youth engagement. The organization has engaged over 145 youth artists across Dar es Salaam, transforming the city’s blank walls into beautifully vibrant calls for justice and improvement.

The art is not just decoration: it’s a movement of its own, powerful and loud. Across Tanzania and the African Continent, youth in underrepresented communities face barriers to employment, access, and visibility, dulling their voices in public discussions. At the same time, pressing global issues such as climate action, health education, and misinformation are left in the dark for many, particularly in areas where literacy rates are low.

Through its creation of public art displays, digital storytelling, and grassroots training, VAS Hub is tackling these challenges, sparking conversations and switching the status quo.

Mushy and Atul encourage us to view creativity not as a side note to development, but as a transformer of it, harnessing the ability to shift narratives and create real opportunities for people.

This past April, on World Creativity and Innovation Day, the SDG Action Campaign shone a spotlight on VAS Hub’s mission: invest in creativity, believe in youth’s potential, and act with the intention to create meaningful change.

For more information, please visit SDG Action Awards. 

Source: UN SDG Action Campaign.