Poetic Obituaries: In 1959 he [Malangatana Ngwenya] exhibited publicly

for the first time in a group show; two years later, at 25, he had his first solo exhibition.

Simultaneously, he was writing poetry, a lifelong practice. His poems were was first published in 1963. At the time, when many African countries were struggling for independence from Europe, he also became politically active. After joining a nationalist guerrilla group called the Front for Liberation of Mozambique, known by the acronym Frelimo, he was arrested by the Portuguese military police and spent 18 months in jail.

from Newsday: The New York Times: Malangatana Ngwenya Dies at 74; Mozambican Painter

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