Thamsanqa (Thami) Mnyele
South African, 1948-1985
Dorothy Nyembe
INV-2441
Thamsanqa (Thami) Mnyele
South African, 1948-19851984
Dorothy Nyembe
Thamsanqa (Thami) Mnyele South African, 1948-1985 →Medu Art Ensembleprint
Date
1984
Medium
Offset lithograph in black and green on white wove paper
Dimensions
35 × 25 cm (13 13/16 × 9 7/8 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Artworkers Retirement Society
Dorothy Nyembe was an anti-apartheid activist who spent much of her adult life imprisoned and, even when free, was subject to government banning orders that restricted where she could travel and with whom she could associate. The text above and below her portrait describes Nyembe as a “symbol of resistance” and reminds viewers of the 15 years she spent behind bars for supporting the African National Congress’s military wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation).
Also notable
Works in the same vein
Art Towards Social Development
Thamsanqa (Thami) Mnyele (South African, 1948-1985) Gordon Metz (South African, born 1955)
Namibia: The Sun Will Rise
Thamsanqa (Thami) Mnyele South African, 1948-1985
Women Unite Against Apartheid
Thamsanqa (Thami) Mnyele (South African, 1948-1985) Michael Kahn (South African, born 1948) Tim Williams (South African, born c. 1948)
