By Jack Cleaver
WHEN a stunning street mural was vandalised in her community, Sarah Bowen classified it as a hate-crime.
The resident of Butetown, Cardiff was, like many throughout the city, appalled to see the ‘My City My Shirt’ mural on James Street, painted by artists Yusuf Ismail and Shawqi Hasson and unveiled in April this year, spoiled with white paint daubed across it.
The image of mother-of-two Maimuna Yoncana, originally from Guinea-Bissau, wearing a Cardiff City shirt and cradling her baby bump, was intended to be a celebration of diversity.
Locals especially quickly took it to their hearts, so when Sarah, who works at Tiger Bay Amateur Boxing Club, saw it had been defaced, she set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds for it to be restored.
Already she has raised £1,950, with her initial target having been £750.
“I was walking to the coffee shop and took a photo and thought to myself: ‘why is that still there (the vandalism) and why isn’t nobody doing anything about it?”
“The mural is about 200m from the police station, police cars would have driven past it countless times.
“There is a real issue with hate crime in this community, especially among younger people as I get a lot of feedback from the people who attend our boxing club.
“So seeing that it is a hate crime, I knew something needed to be done.”
When asked does if this kind of vandalism makes young people in the community, or anybody, feel more unsafe in their neighbourhood, Sarah responded: “I don’t think it makes people feel more unsafe because they are used to it, it has become normalised.
“I think there is so much of a positive response from what has happened within the community for each other that we will just raise the funds and get it re-painted.
“We will show whoever did this that, if anything, it is reinforcing the opposite of what they are hoping to achieve.”
Tiger Bay is one of the fastest growing boxing clubs in Wales and is helping get a lot of young people into the sport and off the streets.
“With everything that is happening it’s all about empowering each other and elevating each other’s strengths,” said Sarah.
“That’s one reason I wanted to do this fundraiser – just to show people you don’t have to wait for anyone to come in and solve your problems. If you’ve got the right story and right message you can reach the right people.”
The response from the community of Butetown and beyond has been heart-warming.
Schools have been at the forefront, with St Mary the Virgin, Ysgol Gynradd Dolau Primary School, Llanharan and Mount Stuart Primary School, among others raising money via special events.
To donate to Sarah’s appeal click here.