CIVICUS discusses the potential of artivism with Ezenwa Okoro, a playwright, poet and Programme Director of the Street Project Foundation, a Nigerian organisation that promotes youth political participation and active citizenship.

Artivism combines art and activism to address social issues, using creative expression as a tool to inspire change. Art helps stimulate reflection, raise awareness, foster empathy and inspire action. In Africa’s diverse cultural landscape, artivism plays an important role in drawing attention to pressing issues such as climate change, human rights and social justice.

What’s the focus of your activism?

We use the arts as a vehicle for social and political change, particularly to advocate for political and social justice and push boundaries in a country where deep ethnic and religious divides pose significant challenges. Nigerian politicians often exploit these to polarise society. But our generation wants to turn this diversity into a source of strength. Through the arts, we seek to unite young people across ethnic and religious divides and amplify their voices on key social issues.

By 2020, Nigerians had reached a tipping point – we’d simply had enough of bad governance. At the time, around 40 per cent of people were living in poverty. With over 70 per cent of Nigerians under the age of 35, unemployment was rising dramatically. Police brutality was also an issue – young people were being profiled, abused and killed by the police. We decided enough was enough and took to the streets in protest. Unfortunately, the government responded with violence, sending soldiers and police to fire live bullets at us. Several people were killed and many were arrested.

We realised we needed to rethink our strategy and find a way to continue our advocacy without risking our lives. That’s when the idea of using the creative arts for advocacy came into play. Young Nigerians are incredibly talented in areas such as dance, drama, filmmaking, music and poetry, but this talent used to be confined mostly to the entertainment business. We decided to harness this talent for a greater cause – to use the arts as a tool for social change.

That’s how the Artvocacy Movement was born. It drew from my previous experience in combining art and activism, which dated back to 2014, when my organisation launched the Creative Youth Bootcamp. The movement quickly gained momentum and since then we’ve mobilised over 4,000 young people in four regions of Nigeria.

How do you combine art and activism?

We use films, music, poetry, theatre and visual arts to inspire young people to become active citizens. Our projects have ranged from photo storybooks, where young people use photography to tell their personal stories, to radio dramas, a genre with a wide reach in Nigeria. One particularly successful radio drama series addressed the trend of young Nigerians wanting to leave the country due to economic hardship, known as the ‘Japa syndrome’. By telling compelling stories, we’ve encouraged young people to stay and fight for change instead of fleeing, because leaving only serves the corrupt politicians who benefit from the status quo.

We noticed that politicians were systematically disenfranchising young people, making it almost impossible for us to even stand for election. In response, we organised and advocated for a change in the law, insisting that young people deserve the right to participate in government. In collaboration with other youth activists and civil society allies we launched the Not Too Young to Run movement. While others were advocating and mobilising in their ways and however best they could be effective, we in our corner used the creative arts to communicate these ideas in a compelling way, and eventually a law was passed allowing younger candidates to stand for election.

Our work also focused on advocating for people with disabilities, who had been marginalised for far too long and didn’t have proper social security. We used art to raise awareness, advocate for disability rights and rally support for the cause. The new Disability Rights Act, passed by parliament and signed into law by the previous president before leaving office, has provided much-needed protection for disabled people.

We also played a key role in pushing for the National Youth Entrepreneurship Development Fund, which provides government funding for young entrepreneurs. It was not an easy battle, but through persistent advocacy and the strategic use of arts, we played a major part in collaboration with other advocates in convincing the government to establish the fund.

What makes art such a powerful tool for activism?

Art has always been a powerful force for moving minds and stirring emotions. It instantly captures people’s attention and speaks to them in a way few other channels can. Imagine life without art: no music, no films, no beauty in design. It would feel empty. Art gives meaning to life, and if it has such power, why not use it to advance important social causes?

For me, art goes far beyond entertainment. It’s a tool for social change, because it helps challenge outdated mentalities and offers hope to the hopeless. It can promote equality in class, gender or race. It’s the most powerful way to communicate messages that resonate deeply and inspire action.

What challenges do you face as an artivist and how do you overcome them?

One of the biggest challenges we face is the lack of spaces for arts programmes, particularly at the grassroots level. Nigeria simply doesn’t have enough youth and community centres where young people can channel their energy into creativity. Even when these spaces exist, they are often rented out for other purposes, such as church activities. I have nothing against churches, but it feels like we’re competing with them for the limited space available to nurture creative talent.

This lack of access to proper spaces makes it difficult for organisations like ours to run effective programmes. Young people have so much energy, and without any outlets for it, it can turn into anti-social behaviour. We’ve been campaigning for more creative spaces where young people can thrive, but until that happens, we make do with the resources and spaces we have and keep pushing for a future where creativity can flourish. We are also interested in strategic partnerships that will enable us to replicate our model in other African countries and elsewhere in the global south.

Get in touch with the Street Project Foundation through its website or Instagram and Facebook pages, and follow @StreetProject1 on Twitter.