Visual Aided Stories (VAS)

Creative connoisseur with profound interest in the intersection between art and advertising. Strongly considers creativity to be mother of all invention, especially those yet to be conceived. 

Post college, I worked at Ogilvy Tanzania as a Digital Lead, Customer Engagement- stirring awareness and engagement campaigns for brands including Airtel TZ, Tanga Fresh and Equity Bank Tz Ltd. I had to quit my job to pursue this new vision and convince two other people, who believed the idea can be done.

Pursued Bachelor of Science in Business Management at West Virginia University- with a focus on International Business and minor in Fashion Design & Visual Merchandise. 

The visual arts sector in Tanzania is predominantly informal, the country boasts thousands of talented visual artists- the next African Picassos, but lack support and modern platforms to exhibit their talents. This leads to high youth unemployment, with many opting into drug abuse and crime. The society is also deprived on the power visual arts- both socially and economically. 

Visual Aided Stories (VAS) utilizes murals (as a unique medium of communication that is human centered) and digital marketing tools to connect, educate, and inspire social change. VAS economically empowers visual artists and youth through employment opportunities and business development programs at VAS Hub(our creative space)-where talents are scaled into potential businesses. VAS socially empowers the society by providing free public art and spreading educational and inspirational messages-especially to marginalized groups of people in the society. Thus, transforms city walls into unique and vibrant tourist and cultural destinations.

Across the continent and globally, African culture is experiencing a renaissance with the rise of  Afro beats, African literature, fashion and food. Tanzania is one example of an African country blessed with thousands of raw talents- the next African Picasso’s, in the field of visual arts. However, the sector lacks resources and support needed to scale these talents into businesses and jobs/careers.  Great focus has been placed on performing arts and the visual arts has been ignored along with it’s potential to economically empower artists and community social impact. If not solved, youth unemployment which currently stands at 11.5 per cent in Tanzania, will persist, therefore leading the youth to resort to crime and other unorthodox ways of surviving. Other social issues that may rise include early teenage pregnancies. It is frustrating to artists and creates hopelessness and often leads to chemically dependent youth.

Definition: A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other permanent surfaces. 

Visual Aided Stories (VAS) is a collaborative community/network of visual artists, the next African Picassos, digital marketers and other content creators using visual arts (murals) and digital marketing as tools for social change. Our murals are a brilliant intersection between arts and advertising (Part Art + Part Ad) where the art part has been psychologically proven to connect with humans on an emotional level, given art is intertwined in our lives and its open to interpretation. While the ad side of it is where we attach a socially uplifting message/inspiring message and integrate digital marketing solutions to story tell the mural on social channels. VAS seeks to economically empower talented visual artists from disadvantaged communities through employment and visual arts career programs at VAS Hub(creative space) and at the same time utilize the power of murals as a unique medium of communication to connect, educate and inspire social change especially in marginalized communities. Our murals  bridge the gap between brands and intended audience, Celebrate and preserve Pan-Africanism, promote peace and unity, especially during tensions/civil conflicts/elections/pandemics i.e COVID-19. 

Visual Aided Stories (VAS) mainly targets two primary beneficiaries.

1. YOUTH- talented visual artists from disadvantaged communities-the next African Picassos and unemployed content creators & digital marketers. Majority of these artists are unemployed and live in marginalized communities. Due to no support and lack of modern platforms in visual arts, some of these artists end up in toxic activities such as drug abuse, violence and crime. With VAS Hub (our creative space), we help artists by; supporting artists with material, a conceptualization collaborative space, mural installation and business development programs. We liaise with public and private organizations from which we can secure paid work for these visual artists. By utilizing digital platforms we promote the work of individual artists, therefore increasing the chances for them to get work internationally too. VAS currently has a network of over 1000 artists through collaboration with three grassroots artists movements. We send information on opportunities and create dialogues on Whatsapp groups. 

2. Our secondary target market is the Tanzanian community which benefits from the socially uplifting messages communicated by our artists through their murals and free public art available to all. 

This project relates to all the Elevate Prize’s core objectives of elevating opportunities for all people, elevating issues and their solutions and elevating understanding of and between people. We are solving the problem of high youth unemployment (and it's resultant social vices like crime etc.) particularly among young visual artists. We are economically empowering these artists and other content creators from disadvantaged communities. Along with that we are communicating educational and inspirational social messages via murals to the society, unifying the society and creating dialogues and conversations around vital issues affecting the communities. 

I grew up in Kigogo, a marginalized informal settlement in Dar es Salaam characterized by crime, drug business, low literacy and unemployment. The only hope to success in these neighborhoods is arts and football. However, lack of support led these talents to be wasted. I therefore developed a burning desire to use arts (as a passion point of my people) to drive social change. My educational background, attending African Leadership Academy and West Virginia University, has exposed me to other brilliant minds around the world and that inspiration led me to start UCA Tz and Africulture- arts entrepreneurial ventures to elevate artistic talents while endorsing African culture through concerts and clothing respectively. 

However, it was when I was working for Ogilvy as a digital lead- handling top clients such as Coca Cola and Airtel, that I developed an interest to find an intersection between my passion for art and advertising. One night, I stumbled upon an old picture of myself next to a mural-while in this reflection mood, the vision of VAS was born. I shared with Mohamed and  convinced a few others to form a team. Six months later, we launched VAS Pan African mural. 

It all goes back to my story in Kigogo. I had first hand experience to witness the enormous talents in arts and football in my community. Some of them were my childhood friends.  However, due to lack of opportunities and support, many of these dreams were shattered. A lot ended up in drug abuse, crime, violence and cycles of hopelessness. There are thousands of these gems in Tanzania. Visual Aided Stories(VAS) is their bridge to reach the society through arts and significantly impact their own people, with their own art. Through VAS they can tell their stories through art and inspire others. Through VAS, they can inspire millions of people in Tanzania and the world. The communities they live in can not only become vibrant destinations but also inspiring streets especially to marginalized groups such as youth and women amongothers. The VAS solution can empower visual artists- the next African Picassos, youth and their communities both socially and economically.

Kigogo background: My Kigogo upbringing and experiences lay the foundation of my work. Kigogo is a fantastic example of the kind of communities I work with- informal settlements marked with low income, low literacy and unemployment. I draw resilience, lessons and inspiration from my own Kigogo story. 

Educational background:I majored in Business Management and minor in fashion design & visual merchandize at West Virginia University as a Mastercard Foundation Scholar. I learned about strategy, team dynamics and innovation- which serve as lessons vital to scale Visual Aided Stories.  

Business experience: I bring a business experience working with top brands such as Coca Cola, Ogilvy and Equity Bank. I am a creative with profound interest in the intersection of arts and advertising. Duringmy time at Ogilvy for instance, I supervised creation of dynamic and engaging social content for clients including Airtel, Tanga Fresh and Equity Bank Tanzania. Handled accounts and client relationships as key social media communication partners for multinationals including Airtel, Tanga Fresh, Equity Bank and Coca Cola, Tanzania. Kindly note I had to quit my job to pursue this vision.

Arts entrepreneurship & Youth leadership: I had a rare opportunity to attend the African Leadership Academy where I was trained in Entrepreneurial Leadership, exposed to other leaders, engaged in solving community challenges and gained experience in implementing start ups. I found my own arts ventures including UCA Tz, Africulture, Dapper C/O and served as an advisory board member for DARECHA(Dar es Salaam Entrepreneurship Challenge). 

It is estimated that 90% of startups fail. The first 6 months of VAS were one of the toughest times of my life. I had quit my job at Ogilvy and with time my savings had run out. At a living room of my colleague, we collaborated with artists to conceptualize our first peace murals while finding public spaces proved a challenge. Our idea was considered too disruptive- we were put into complicated bureaucratic processes that only frustrated us more. 

With persistence, MasterCard Foundation provided us the funds to implement our prototype.  However, COVID-19 pandemic happened and devastated our plans. All the important appointments we had work-hard to make, the public space search and the team were disrupted. Despite these challenges, we knew that in every obstacle, lies an opportunity. That’s when we decided to shift our message from peace and unity to COVID-19 awareness. Zingatia COVID-19 campaign was then created at VAS Hub to raise awareness on coronavirus prevention measures such as washing hands, wearing masks and social distancing measures to low literacy residents. We implemented our first mural in Kigogo despite the red-tape that surrounds and significantly impacted both the artists and the community.

In summer 2013, I took a gap year after graduating at African Leadership Academy- a Pan African school, based in South Africa, that develops the next generation of African leaders. During my gap year, I spent more time in the community and was able to witness unscripted talents in the field of music and arts. This pushed me to find a team of 12 people who fundraised and organized a music and arts festival coined “UCA TZ”.UCA TZ created a platform for different young talents in the field of music and arts to showcase their potential to the public. The concert received sponsorship support from Zantel and Coca Cola TZ. We also received support from the government with the attendance of the Ministry of Communication, Arts, Culture, Youth, & Sports. The concert had over 1,000 in attendance and 37 artists showcased their talents while 5 artists got direct sponsorship on the spot. Artists also collaborated to record a music song themed UCA Tz Anthem. Various media houses supported our work in their respective channels.

We at VAS are:

1. Proud Supporters of Tanzanian Visual Arts - by creating a specific visual arts platform for thousands of talented youth in Tanzania, the next African Picassos, to exhibit their talent to a larger audience and make a living from it. VAS scales talents into potential businesses through its business development program at VAS Hub.

2. Using art as a tool for social change; unifying the society with street art artists-the next African Picasso, tourists/visitors, community stakeholders, private and public organizations & Government.  

3. Visual Aided Stories through its Pan African Mural Approach, transforms illegal graffiti into respected murals that are aesthetically pleasing with socially uplifting messages that connect, educate and inspire social change.

4. Pioneers of this unique form of marketing that creates a 4D advertising experience as a cheaper alternative to billboards and takes advantage of the growing digital market space of Tanzania to widen its reach.

5. Community impact: PAMA provides breathtaking public art to communities at no cost and provide socially uplifting messages.

There are no visual arts platforms creating content speaking to the community quite like Pan African Murals. Not just in its ability to connect with the local community- it serves as a powerful tool that goes beyond inspiring, educating and transforming lives to revitalize a sense of a place, making cultural heritage a tangible community asset and creating a conducive environment for social, cultural and economic value.

INPUT /RESOURCES

·        Licensing

·        Artists

·        Art Director

·        VAS Hub/Space

·        Mural Painting tools

·        Website

·        Personnel: Graphic Designers, Digital Account Manager, Film Prod.

·        Camera & Digital items

ACTIVITIES

·        Brainstorm & developing mural concepts

·        Research & Market Survey,

·        Collaboration with Artistes & youth at VAS Hub

·        Mural Installation- pilot & prototypes

·        Digital Storytelling – Life After Mural Installation

Create multiple mural campaigns

OUTPUT

·        Well created mural concepts with digital link

·        New experience/ Unique form of expression- Modern Art Form

·        Top Of Mind Awareness – Mural site + Digital Space

·        Behavioral change and attitude

S.TERM GOALS/OUTCOME

·        Inspiring messages- social impact

·        Source of income to artistes & youth

·        Elevate careers of emerging artistes

·        Platform to artists/ opportunities- for youth & artist to exhibit their talent(master art)

L.TERM GOALS/IMPACT

·        Patriotism

·        Art Culture

·        Youth & Artistes demonstrate ability to design mural concepts with socially uplifting messages

·        Tourism from Aesthetic cities

·        Mindset, Attitude & Belief- Celebrating Pan African culture

Visual Aided Stories has built a collaborative community/network of 1000 visual artists, content creators and digital marketers. This community is engaged in whatsapp groups with communication on arts opportunities and dialogues created. So far, 145 visual artists have gone through the VAS Hub business development programs, 20 content creators and digital marketers  are actively involved.In a year’s time, we would have launched upto three other campaigns and we expect to have a community of over 1500, and trained upto 250 other artists. VAS aims to launch VAS Hubs across East Africa in 5 years, with an expected network of over 10,000 visual artists across Tanzania, Kenya and Rwanda. 

Secondly, through our Zingatia and “I am Tanzanian” campaigns, we have already reached out to over 10,000 residents on the ground and over 200,000 online impressions. We aim to reach out to over 1 million residents on ground and over 50,000,000 impressions online in 5 years across East Africa.

We have officially launched a nationwide campaign which will focus on endorsing and celebrating Tanzania’s peace, unity and pride heading towards October 2020 General Elections, the “I am Tanzanian” campaign.  Similarly, we will be looking to tap into Tanzania Board of Tourism to run nationwide campaigns promoting tourism both domestic and international- by installing murals in Tanzania’s national parks, points of attractions, and airports. From there, we can organize mural sites tours as an offering for both domestic and international tourists.  We target to achieve this in five years’ time.

Going forward, we plan to expand our horizon and seek partnerships/collaboration with brands and organizations such as USAID, HDIF, UN Tanzania, UN World Food Programs among others to spread murals to other East African countries such as Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda. Simultaneously, we will target to capture multinational brands from Coca Cola and Pepsi to MTN and Airtel to utilize mural advertising. 

We aim to broaden our mural portfolio to indoor murals and target homes, offices, schools, hospitals 

We also seek partners and stakeholders to serve as board of advisors to make VAS Hub a sustainable Art program for youth and artists- the next African Picassos.

·   Access to prime public spaces and large-scale buildings. Majority of commercial buildings in the city are owned by real estate entrepreneurs-therefore, establishing long term business relationships with the owners would be crucial.

·   Government intervention to charge mural as an ad space (note:there are no rules or regulations currently in place)

·   VAS Hub sustainability

·   Lack of connection to both private and public sectors such as NGOs, donors, and Government

Access to prime public spaces and buildings. We have already started seeking partnerships  with local government authorities such as municipal councils to support Tanzanian Arts by offering government owned public spaces for murals to be installed. We have also been working with homeowners to transform their outside home looks by installing murals. The response  gets  better with incentives such as providing  rental fees.

Government intervention to charge murals as an ad space(no rules or regulations currently in place)-We have already acquired licensing from BASATA, the national art authority and are currently exploring various ways to promote this type of  art in the country. 

VAS Hub sustainability; In addition to seeking partnerships with both private and public organizations, government and investors,  we aim to  generate income from mural advertising and in future sign artists and invest in their businesses. 

Connection to NGOs, donors, private sector and Government- VAS aims to continue seeking  for opportunities such as The Elevate Prize in order to build its network across the world. Participate in conferences etc.

Visual Aided Stories currently has the following partners;

Human Development Innovation Fund(HDIF) and Mastercard Foundation-We are working together to continue onground education on COVID-19 prevention measures and installing water stations next to our murals. 

Colour Mwanza, Colour Dar, Frontline and Wachata- We are collaborating with these art groups in identifying talents for the VAS Hub Network.