Using the creative arts to express oneself or even speak on social issues has become the new norm. Many artists have been using their talents beyond the limits of their paintbrushes and canvases.

For one makeup artist, Natalia Lekha, she has been using her platform to protest of the recent murders of three Guyanese teens in the West Coast Berbice region.
The young woman noted that the deaths of the young men which are believed to be hate crimes have sparked a much needed conversation to be held among young people in Guyana, however not being very good with words, Lekha joined the conversation and protest with her own language which is makeup.
“When I speak about certain situations, I’m always misunderstood and for some reason this story the Henry. I didn’t want to say anything because I know it would have gone off different and a lot of people would have misunderstood me, so I decided to express myself through art,” she said.
She noted that she created a makeup look which spoke clearly calling for justice for the young men and for racism to be a thing of the past in Guyana.
“Right now we are currently divided by race…if it starts with the youths we understand the situation, now if we come together…if all the [ethnicities] join together to get justice for these young men, it will be great. It can’t just be one particular people protesting it has to be all of us, so that we can have justice for these young men,” she said.
Additionally, the young woman noted that with technology every Guyanese especially young Guyanese should take advantage of the internet and social media to speak out against injustices and motivate others to do the same.

“When you use your platform for the greater good, you are going to motivate other youths who want to have a platform. You are going to motivate other youths to push themselves, you are also going to better yourself, like for me I continued to better myself in the makeup field and I’m going g to perfect what I do,” she explained.
In explaining the details of her makeup look Lekha noted that she tried to create a replica of the wounds and bruises that were inflicted on the young men while writing the word justice across her lips which she says represents her call for justice to be served for the boys who were not able to speak for themselves.