Artists from Ukraine and Kenya created a huge mural in Nairobi to symbolise solidarity in the wake of the ongoing war in Europe.
The mural on Phoenix House along Muindi Mbingu Street was the final of five paintings after similar ones in Vienna, Berlin, Marseille and Brussels.
Ukrainian Institute and Agency for Cultural Development Port unveiled the mural known as the “Grains of Culture” on Thursday evening.
Katya Taylor, the initiator of the project, said Kenya and Ukraine share values which they wanted depicted in a painting.
“Despite the war, we still o share a lot of things. Not just food, but culture and art,” she said.
Ukrainian ambassador to Kenya Andriy Pravednyk expressed gratitude to Kenya for standing with his country during the war.
“The mural signifies the friendship between Kenya and Ukraine. We established an embassy in Kenya in 2004 and our relationship has been growing strong since then,” he stated.
Pravednyk also thanked other African countries that have continued to show their support for Ukraine.
“To strengthen our ties with Kenya, we will organise cultural exchanges after the war. I must add that we will not limit ourselves to cultural exchanges,” he added.
On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded and occupied parts of Ukraine in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014.
Russia's invasion began with dozens of missile strikes on cities all over Ukraine before dawn.
About 8 million Ukrainians were displaced within their country by June, and more than 8 million had fled the country by February 2023.
Taylor said the mural symbolises resistance, stability, and armour that fences off the civilised world from the war.
She reiterated that the project aims to show that Ukraine has much in common with Kenya, including values, goals, and rights.
Artists who created the mural from Ukraine included Nikita Kravtsov and Andrii Kovtun while those from Kenya were Paul Kelemba, Moha Graphix and Eliamin Ink.
The painting is strongly associated with the political, economic, and diplomatic relationships between Kenya and Ukraine through the symbols of coffee and wheat grains.