The wall of a downtown warehouse now carries a portrait three storeys tall — a grandmother woven from Kitenge patterns. It appeared in a week, and Kampala has not stopped photographing it since.
Street art in the city has moved from tolerated graffiti to commissioned work, as businesses and even public agencies discover that murals turn dead walls into landmarks.
The artists are organised now: collectives share equipment, mentor teenagers, and negotiate commissions that would have been unthinkable five years ago.
Not everyone is convinced. Debates flare over which walls are heritage and whose messages belong in public view — arguments the artists welcome as proof the work matters.
“From downtown shutters to highway underpasses, a wave of muralists is turning the city into an open-air gallery…”
A city’s walls have always spoken. Kampala’s are simply saying more interesting things.
