The Art of Transcending Trauma
UK-based artist, Wakrot Chinshaka, harnesses his tragic experiences while growing up in his home city to promote peace, unity, and healing. Okechukwu Uwaezuoke writes
That afternoon of May 20, 2014, seared itself into the collective consciousness of Jos’s residents in its unspeakable horror. At 3 p.m., a twin bomb blast shattered the bustling marketplace, transforming it into a war zone. Chaos reigned, screams echoed, and flames engulfed the wreckage. But the horrors didn’t end there—a second bomb detonated at 3:30 p.m., cutting down rescuers like a merciless scythe. Black smoke choked the air, shrouding the atrocities below. In an instant, 118 lives were lost, a toll that would later climb to 150. The question on everyone’s lips was: Who unleashed this act of terror upon the city?
Wakrot Chinshaka, then a University of Jos undergraduate, happened to be at the scene that fateful day, having just bought his architectural supplies. For him, the dreadful memories of that day, along with those of other similar days of sectarian violence in the past, sparked a creative revolution. This revolution birthed his pacifist initiative, tagged More Love, Less War—a potent combination of art, unity, and healing, aimed at promoting peace in the region with the power of creativity.
Art is more than just a mere expression for Chinshaka; it is a force for social change and a lifeline for him. As someone born and raised in the cosmopolitan and cultural city of Jos, Plateau State, where he grew up around a lot of colors, tribal patterns and stories around him that refined his artistic worldview. Yet amid the beauty around him, he was surrounded by crisis, conflict and unrest, and these were experiences that provided direction to his work later on. “Art wasn’t what I chose,” he said. “It was a language I grew up learning and a way I was able to understand and translate the world around me and where I was in it”.
Chinshaka’s Creative journey propelled him to University of the Arts London – Central Saint Martins, where he attained a Master’s in Industrial Design which presented him with a multicultural creative environment and an opportunity to refine his practice wo rking on projects around African fabrics patterns fusing them with contemporary design ideas and creating an infectious fusion of culture, identity and innovation.
His works like More Love Less War and the Blood Stained Child used art and design thinking and practices as tools to foster conversation around peace and conflict resolution, cultural and community healing and empowerment. He has also been involved in creative art therapy with children in Internally Displaced Person (IDP) Camps in areas that have been affected the crisis and conflict and has created safe spaces for them to use art to work through their trauma and help them rebuild their confidence through their creative expression. These workshops and outreach visits have created a great impact in communities that have been affected by these violent attacks that have scared them.
Art stands out as Chinshaka’s first love and a reflection of his personal life, background, community and heritage. By working on his initiative around social impact and justice using Art as a driver, he aims to establish community creative art hubs and mobile centres for storytelling and empowerment. He plans to further practice his art and see it evolve around the dynamics of social impact, innovation and tradition. The evolution is very personal for Chinshaka, “My journey with art keeps evolving and at the centre of it all remains the reflection of my life, community and my strong belief in the power of art and creativity,” he explained.
Chinshaka is driven by his hope for a long-lasting legacy that will serve as an inspiration to the coming generation of young artists to believe in their craft and the power their voices have a change the negative narratives around them. He sees his art practice being a positive example in the near future, one that will be a force for healing, change and transformation in his community and the world at large that needs it now more than ever and to achieve this vision, he plans to push beyond the limits of his creative and artistic expression. He said, “My goal is to explore creative ideas with new techniques, materials, and technologies, including digital installations and augmented reality, which will help tell stories in innovative and immersive ways.
This vision goes way beyond his personal practice. He sees himself starting a worldwide global movement built around the “More Love Less War” project through a message of hope for underprivileged communities. His community and mobile art hubs will provide a place and platform where children and marginalized people have a voice to express themselves through art. He plans to leverage on collaborations that will build a bridge across disciplines and boarders, designers, artists and art organisations to celebrate culture and work on projects that will steer conversations around identity, unity and resilience.
Chinshaka’s grand vision and goal is for his art to go around the world, healing communities, retaining cultural memories among people and bridging cultural divided and hopes to inspire up and coming artist from communities that are under-represented, equipping them to find their voices and use their creativity as a driver for change in the world.
