Graffiti and Music as Political Protest: Youth Resistance in West African Urban Spaces
Friday, June 13, 2025
14:00 - 15:45 GMT
Location: MFB-Nouvelle Salle
Presenter(s)
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Sesede Whenume Simeon
University of Ibadan, Nigeria
Paper Abstract: This paper examines how urban youth in West Africa and Asia use graffiti, music, and other art forms as tools for political protest, focusing on the 2020 #EndSARS protests in Nigeria and recent youth-led protests in Hong Kong and Thailand. The research highlights how these creative forms have become powerful avenues for expressing dissent, challenging official narratives, and building solidarity among youth. By analyzing graffiti art, protest music, and slogans from these movements, the study reveals how public expressions foster collective identity and continuity in resistance traditions across continents. Using a qualitative methodology, this study draws on interviews with artists, musicians, and activists involved in the protests and includes a content analysis of graffiti and protest songs from the #EndSARS period, alongside published materials for secondary data. This approach explores how these art forms communicate opposition to state violence and corruption, allowing marginalized youth to assert their presence in urban spaces and influence public discourse. Findings show that graffiti and music are crucial in mobilizing youth, sustaining resistance, and reclaiming public spaces as platforms for alternative voices. This paper concludes that youth-driven artistic resistance is not only a continuation of historical protest traditions in West Africa and Asia but also a potent force in shaping contemporary political movements. These insights reveal a deepening intersection of artistic expression and political activism, illustrating how youth-led art in urban spaces is transforming protest and public engagement amid complex socio-political challenges.
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