New Durban mural a sight for weary eyes
The mural was made possible through a collaborative effort by Durban-based artists.
A GROUP of Durban artists are trying to put a smile on the faces of Berea residents with a mural and a poem.
The mural, located on 187 Sandile Thusi Road on the corner with Problem Mkhize, depicts a hand holding a pen.
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It was drawn by Mook Lion. Next to the mural is a short poem titled ‘Swings’ which reads: “Walking past playgrounds looking at all the empty swings made me think of all the people who’ve forgotten how to play.”
“I have been writing poetry on and off for a while and I have always questioned what is of value in life. A lot of that theme now fits in with Covid-19 and a lot of people are thinking about that now,” said McDonald.
“I wanted to write poetry in the city for people to read and then David from Toomfoolery (film company) said let me organise for you to write in places.”
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The wall was made available by local photographer, Val Adamson. McDonald said he plans to write a new poem every week, they are also identifying other walls across the city.
McDonald was born and raised in Berea. While speaking to Berea Mail next to the mural, a number of drivers stopped to hoot, chat and take pictures.
“All the poems are very short, something you can read in 20 seconds when you stop at a traffic light and will give you a thought for the day,” he said.
Like with many artists, McDonald has found little work come by recently. It’s a long way off from when he was hitch hiking to the Congo to search for dinosaur remains or when him and his cousins hitch hiked to the United States of America to attend the Ellen DeGeneres Show.
“It’s difficult because part of doing art is self-expression and creativity but people do not place any (economic) value in that,” he said.
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