In the Khongolote neighborhood of Maputo, a mural of a young boy holding a skateboard underneath a yellow sun greets Mozambicans each morning. The mural is one of four collaborative works in Mozambique and the United States, completed with public diplomacy small grants funding from Embassy Maputo. U.S.-based organization aptARTS (Awareness & Prevention Through Arts) completed the One Blue Sky Project, which encourages groups of Mozambican and American children to use art as expression, threading together communities that are thousands of miles apart. Teens in Maputo connected with peers in Miami, Fla., while a group in Matua, Mozambique connected with students from Lynn, Mass. These participants are from underserved areas and used art to escape daily challenges of life, while broadening their horizons and learning about other cultures, customs, and values. Along with the mural, the group in Maputo will have lasting memories of their new American friends as they use hand-painted skateboards made just for them in Miami.
Photo courtesy of Embassy Maputo
