House of Art

If you are traversing along Two Mile Hill, St Michael you may be inclined to stop and stare at a mural which has a human-like resemblance of Marcus Garvey.

That mural is located at the African Heritage Foundation and was created by Paul Simba Rock.

Speaking to Barbados TODAY, Rock said Liberty Murals is a house of murals which will be painted at the Foundation’s St Michael headquarters.

“The idea is to have artists come and paint murals on all the walls. So we have invited children [from] St Giles Primary and other primary schools to work on the murals when [school reopens]. The idea is to create a gallery of murals and when it is finished, we would like tourists and locals to come in,” he said.

Rock said he was unsure if they would charge people to view the murals but they would collect donations for the upkeep of the Foundation.

“The donations will be collected and every two to three months, they will be shared with the artist. The idea for the younger artistes, like the school children, is to have an introduction or some early success and exposure from making money from their art,” he said.

The president of the African Heritage Foundation took Barbados TODAY on a tour of the murals completed thus far, adding that the mural at The St Michael School reflects the theme I Am African.

Rock explained that his mural which depicts the life and times of Marcus Garvey, a pioneer in Garvanism, has received funding from the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) in the sum of $2,000.

“The National Cultural Foundation has given us a donation to complete this as they want to use it as a part of their season of emancipation. We, on the other hand, are going to use it to celebrate Marcus Garvey as every August 17 we [honour him],” he said.

Rock told Barbados TODAY that the murals have attracted much attention with many visiting the Foundation to get a closer look. (LG)