22 March 2022 | The recently launched ‘Your Best Shot’ campaign will leverage dynamic and original pieces of art in and around the city of Cape Town to help encourage and drive greater vaccination rates.

Spearheaded by Accelerate Cape Town, a business leadership organisation representing top-tier corporate business in the province and Santam, South Africa’s largest short-term insurer – this initiative will see the use of street art installations (aka murals) in key urban and rural areas to further educate and communicate the importance of Covid-19 vaccinations.

“It is an undeniable fact that the surest way to move beyond the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, is to increase our vaccination rate,” says Ryan Ravens, CEO, Accelerate Cape Town. “Covid-19 vaccinations are, right now, one of the greatest investments we can make in ourselves and our wellbeing as well as that of our loved ones, broader communities and economy.”

In partnership with local non-profit, Baz-Art, the ‘Your Best Shot’ campaign kicked off in collaboration with the International Public Arts Festival (IPAF) on 23 February.  The unveiling of the campaign’s signature piece, the largest of the festival, took place two weeks later at a 180sqm location on the corner of Loop and Strand Street in Cape Town’s CBD.

“There is a natural synergy between this campaign and the IPAF itself – with the latter’s theme for 2022 that of ‘Humanity’,” says Neptal Khoza, Head of Market Development at Santam. “The last two years have tested us all in ways we could never have predicted. What is needed is for us to stand together, united in our common humanity – taking the steps necessary to move forward from this global pandemic. This forms part of our commitment to contributing towards the fight against Covid-19.”

The work of five local artists – Bushy Wopp, Mernette Swarts, Silas Ras Moetse, Wayne BKS (aka Conform) and Dekor One, the remaining murals will be displayed across the greater Cape Town area in Athlone, Bonteheuwel, Delft, Langa and Mitchell’s Plain.

“Each piece of art has been specifically created to reinforce the positive aspects of receiving the Covid-19 vaccination,” says Lauren Fletcher, project manager at Baz-Art. Key messages include accountability for personal and individual health, comfort when connecting one-on-one with partners and friends, protecting one’s family, serving one’s community, and ensuring freedom of movement and safety for all across our beautiful country and continent.

A total of five individual art murals – each one with its own specific message will be painted and adjusted to suit the preferred language of the community in which it is featured. The combined messages of all are encapsulated in the ‘Your Best Shot’ signature piece. Further, a QR code will be included in each of the murals – linking to a video interview in which each of our ‘Vax Champs’[1] trained artists will discuss their mural and encourage members of the community to be vaccinated.

Apart from communicating these vitally important messages, the ‘Your Best Shot’ campaign will also create much-needed work opportunities for South African artists as it strives for inclusivity and community respect and involvement.

With a keen interest in arts and culture that sees Santam the owner of the country’s largest art collection, the ‘Your Best Shot’ campaign is an initiative very close to its heart. “Art has a way of speaking to us that differs completely to any other means,” continues Khoza. “We are excited to be part of this initiative. It is no longer enough for our communities to simply survive but rather, so crucially, to begin to thrive.”

[1] https://www.businessforsa.org/vax-champs/ ‘Vax Champs’ is a Department of Health initiative.