PaintUp with Kamamma™ is an innovative project developed by Dreamcatcher in collaboration with the community of Melkhoutfontein to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of the area. A series of murals beautify houses to tell stories, depict social history, and reawaken the cultural significance of the area.

Launched in 2016 by the then Dutch Ambassador to South Africa Marisa Gerards and then Dreamcatcher Ambassador Dutch celebrity Karin Bloemen, over 30 houses have been designed and painted by artists collaborating with the community. Themes vary from the nearby Blombos cave (home to the earliest evidence of humankind as artists), the world famous fish traps, local fauna and flora, and social history. You can find out more information on each design from the links below. You can also attend WalkAbout™ community tours where community guides tell the stories behind the designs. In addition many other houses have now been painted with paint donated through the project.

Due to Covid the project was suspended as we focused on reallocating resources to support communities throughout the pandemic. Due to the popularity and positive impact of PaintUp with Kamamma we will moving onto the post-pandemic phase in 2024. We are currently collaborating with the community to identify the next 8 homes where the new murals will be painted – including some in the new housing project. In March/April we will be preparing the walls of these homes including painting the base course and in September/October the murals will be painted by community members working alongside Bruce who will be training and mentoring aspiring mural artists. We will also be carrying out some maintenance work on the existing murals.