Paint the Streets: Street Art and Action in Colombia

A Moment of Change podcast episode #2 Paint the Streets: Street Art and Action in Colombia When my OnPurpose cohort came together to relaunch the ‘Moment of Change’ podcast I certainly didn’t think that six months later I’d be hosting and editing an episode about Street Art, let alone one featuring a guest from Colombia, yet here we are. Being an OnPurpose associate (now Fellow!) has constantly thrown up new and exciting possibilities, and this is certainly one I’m grateful to have been part of.  The episode will be released in the coming days, but I wanted to take the chance to share some background on the topic, our guests, Alejandro and Andres, and how this podcast came to fruition. When the series title Creativity for Action was selected, I was pretty resigned to playing minimal role in its creation given creativity is far from my strength. A couple of days later though, I was running through one of my favourite places in London, the Leake Street arches (or the “graffiti tunnel” as I like to call it). Here, graffiti artists and muralists (yes, there is a difference I’ve found out!) gather to constantly update the walls with whatever inspires them. Often, political statements will catch my eye and get me thinking about Banksy’s work. Banksy, being the most famous street artist who regularly uses their art to make political statements, the most recent being an artwork on the Royal Courts of Justice building, depicting a judge hammering down a protester, just days after hundreds of Palestine Action protestors were arrested. With a newfound appreciation for what Creativity for Action could mean, I started to think maybe I could host a podcast episode. One about Banksy and the impact street artists try to make. The obvious guest would’ve been Banksy themselves… a little tricky, perhaps! A few weeks later I was in Brighton with a fellow OnPurpose associate (Andres) who was in the latest April 2025 cohort. We got onto the topic of the podcast, and he immediately told me about his brother, Alejandro, who is a street artist for impact in Colombia. His passion for his brother’s work and the impact he’s making in communities immediately hooked me, and from there, I knew I had my episode. Many months later, I’m proud to say we recorded a wonderful conversation about what Alejandro does in Colombia and I even conquered the art of editing (tracks shifting out of sequence could not conquer me!). I won’t spoil the episode but I really hope people enjoy listening and learning about real community work that is making a difference on the ground, as well as bigger pieces of art that make a statement! As I learned from the brothers: seguimos siendo niños - We’re still childrenAnd finally, one of my favourite quotes from the episode:  “...you can make an impact with small acts, so just start doing something and the world will change, it doesn't matter if it's a big mural or if you share 2 minutes with a grandma…”. Happy listening, AndreasAlejandro goes by the name Agüd for his street art - you can follow him on Instagram or via his website https://agud95.com/en-en?srsltid=AfmBOooGshYhJB3zA4aIlW7KVjg6vFZ5xT9lEAMqSEkJm9dE1GkN8vkcInsta - @agud95 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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