Beyond Vandalism: Reclaiming Graffiti as Educational Praxis and Civic Dialogue in Gweru Urban | Chapter 10 | Walls That Teach: Graffiti, Education and the Pedagogy of Resistance

 

Graffiti, long regarded as both an act of subversion and a vibrant form of popular expression, occupies contested spaces within urban environments across the globe. In post-colonial Africa, its emergence as a visual language of resistance and identity formation is increasingly recognised, particularly within rapidly transforming cities. It is upon this backdrop that this research explores how graffiti in the city of Gweru, Zimbabwe, can move beyond its common framing as mere vandalism to serve as an alternative site for fostering critical literacy and public engagement. The argument avowed in this investigation is that graffiti, when examined through an educational lens, offers rich possibilities for enhancing critical thinking, visual literacy, and civic awareness among the wider community. It further argues that the visual texts displayed on the city’s walls, bridges, and abandoned buildings encode subversive narratives that challenge dominant socio-political discourses while providing platforms for marginalised voices to be heard. The study is theoretically grounded in Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), which provides a robust framework for analysing the semiotic, symbolic, and discursive elements of graffiti as a form of multimodal communication. Methodologically, the study employs a qualitative approach that integrates fieldwork involving the photographic documentation of graffiti across various sites in Gweru. This is complemented by in-depth interviews with graffiti artists and community members, alongside document analysis of relevant public discourses surrounding graffiti. The findings reveal that graffiti in Gweru serves as political discourse, civic engagement, social commentary, and a pedagogical tool for critical literacy. The study recommends that educators and policymakers harness its educational and civic potential to promote critical awareness, creativity, and inclusive community dialogue.

 

 

Author(s) Details

Tendai Chirimaunga
The National Language Institute, Midlands State University, Zimbabwe.

 

Please see the book here :- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/mono/978-93-47485-01-5/CH10

Graffiti as Learning: Psychological Insights into Unconventional Education | Chapter 4 | Walls That Teach: Graffiti, Education and the Pedagogy of Resistance

 

This chapter is a conceptual study which explores graffiti not merely as vandalism but as a noteworthy, albeit unconventional, mode of education and personal development. It digs into several psychological theories to unpack how the creation and interpretation of graffiti can promote learning, especially for students and groups operating outside formal educational contexts. The chapter assesses how identity formation theories illuminate graffiti's role in self-expression and the claiming of identity, especially among adolescents. The social learning theory is applied to comprehend the transmission of skills, values, and norms within graffiti subcultures, while the sociocultural theory outlines graffiti as a cultural tool for meaning-making and socially mediated learning within distinctive contexts. Furthermore, the chapter reviews the constructivist learning theory, revealing how both creators and viewers actively build understanding and interpretation of their environment through graffiti. It also examines graffiti's potential for critical pedagogy, empowering marginalised voices to contest prevailing narratives and engage in social criticism. Finally, principles related to art therapy are deliberated to appreciate the emotional expression and transformative potential built into the act of creating graffiti. By blending these psychological perspectives, the chapter argues for a nuanced awareness of graffiti as a complex phenomenon that can provide deep learning experiences related to identity, community, critical consciousness, and voice, urging a review of its place in discussions of informal and non-formal education. This theoretical examination offers professionals a robust, theoretically reinforced framework for re-contextualising graffiti from a problem of vandalism to a prospective avenue for informal education and personal development.

 

 

Author(s) Details

Edmore Chingwe
Department of Foundations of Education, Rwanda Basic Education Board, TTC Bicumbi, Rwanda.

 

Please see the book here :- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/mono/978-93-47485-01-5/CH4