Malangatana Ngwenya
Malangatana Valente Ngwenya was born in 1936, in Maputo, Mozambique, and died in Portugal, in 2011. He was a shepherd, an apprentice of traditional medicine and an employee of the colonial elite club in Lourenço Marques before becoming a professional artist in 1960 thanks to the Portuguese architect Pancho Guedes, who gave him the garage for an atelier and acquired two paintings once a month.
He was arrested by the colonial police, accused of being linked to FRELIMO and was imprisoned for about two years, and there he managed to paint some works. “Guerreiros – Momentos de Decisão” is a testimony to this. After the independence, he was one of the creators of the National Museum of Arts of Mozambique, where he sought to maintain and revitalize the Art Nucleus. His work is now recognized in Mozambique and internationally.