On World Art Day, April 15, a colorful mural was revealed to the public inside the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) building in Yaoundé. This mural, created on December 9, 2023, by 10 young girls from the Adolescent Girls Advisory Group (AGAB) established by UNICEF, serves as a visual representation of the challenges faced by young girls and adolescents globally. The aim is to bring these challenges to the forefront of policy and program decisions.

The mural features 10 girls encircling a globe, each girl symbolizing a theme she passionately advocates for. Nafissatou stands against child marriage, a significant factor in school dropouts, while Brinda opposes school violence and youth drug use. Julienne highlights the lack of parent-child dialogue, and Gloria champions adolescent mental health. Samira emphasizes the need to include adolescent reproductive health in family discussions, and Jessica tackles issues of sexual violence and early pregnancy. Yvana is committed to curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS among adolescents. Damaris, Noella, and Lydia are dedicated to environmental protection, youth involvement in climate change action, and inclusion, respectively. These themes are artistically represented on the characters’ faces or backs.

19-year-old Noella shared, “This mural embodies our aspiration to make a difference in the world. We chose to portray a globe, not just Cameroon. There are elements that reflect our roots. I’m the girl in the orange top and a skirt in the colors of Cameroon. The raised hand with a heart in the middle of the face symbolizes love and participation. It’s my way of expressing my desire to involve everyone, especially the youth, in combating climate change.” Books illustrated on the far right represent the knowledge these girls wield in their fight, primarily symbolizing universal access to education for girls, a cause close to UNICEF’s heart.

The initial sketches were crafted in a workshop by professional artists before the girls added their personal touch, spraying colors on the wall. Juliette Haenni, UNICEF Deputy Representative in Cameroon, explained, “The artists helped translate the adolescents’ ideas into characters that truly represent them. The girls then added color, bringing the mural to life in their own unique way.” She further added that the mural serves as a constant reminder of the themes the adolescents are working on and their voices in the programs. A senior official from the Ministry of Secondary Education suggested that the mural could be featured on student notebooks or digitized for display at major youth events to maximize its impact.

Patricia Ngo Ngouem