Let’s Colour Walls of Connection launched in Rotterdam

Communities living in more than 40 countries around the world are to benefit from partnership between AkzoNobel and global peace movement MasterPeace which will involve painting 100 Let’s Colour Walls of Connection all over the world.

Turning walls into bridges that connect people

Officially launched in Rotterdam, the first Let’s Colour Wall of Connection was painted at the city’s Albeda College, which is celebrating 25 years of being a local hub for diversity. The college invited its students and local communities to paint a wall projecting their dreams of “a more inclusive and embracing future for all”.

100 walls in 40 countries worldwide

This is only the first out of 100 walls that will be transformed. In total, more than 40 countries around the world will be visited and walls will be turned into places that connect people & communities.

“We see walls being built around the world and aim to turn those walls into bridges that connect people by using the power of color to transform them,” added Aart Bos, MasterPeace Global CEO. “We believe in the power of togetherness, and by transforming these walls into bridges, and connecting rather than dividing people, we also hope to change the walls we have built up in our minds.”

Improving people’s lives by adding colour

Commenting on today’s launch, Ruud Joosten, AkzoNobel’s Executive Committee Member responsible for Decorative Paints, said: “This is a great way for us to engage people around the world through our Let’s Colour and Human Cities initiatives. Let’s Colour believes in the power of paint brands like Dulux to improve people’s lives, while Human Cities aims to revitalize cities around the world and make them more liveable and inspiring.”

Personal perspective

“Walls of Connection will always leave a lasting impression on me. Now I am part of something bigger, because I’m currently a trainee at MasterPeace. During my traineeship, I was chosen to be in AkzoNobel’s Human Cities video about the project, which made my mother very proud.
My most memorable moment was the coloring of the Albeda College wall at Rozenstraat with my fellow students, which marked the launch of the global campaign. That day was inspiring and fun, but was only the start of initiative between AkzoNobel and MasterPeace.”

Community perspective

“In Rotterdam, we had the opportunity to act and share our message of connection globally. What can you say to the world? What do you want to share? For me, the most important thing of all is to protect young urban souls. The feeling of being alone, and not feeling comfortable, is something we can avoid. We just need to connect more. We need to be human again and share our stories more with each other.”
Kimberly, community member, Rotterdam

Find out more about Flexa in the Netherlands here.