To celebrate the official
opening of Mozambique’s premier Fiat and Alfa Romeo
dealership in Maputo a special
Fiat 500 was revealed – designed and painted by
award-winning Mozambican artist, Malangatana Valente
Ngwenya. The work, entitled “The Italian Woman” quite
literally takes Malangatana’s artistic vision from the
gallery and onto the street. Somewhat poignantly, the
Malangatana 500 was the last piece ever crafted by the
artist as he sadly passed away on the 5th January 2011.
The mobile masterpiece was unveiled at the dealership’s
inauguration by relatives of Malangatana and the
Ferreira Dos Santos family, the latter being
the owners of the Maputo dealership and the patrons of
this shared initiative.
The idea was conceived in the middle of 2010 when
Malangatana met with the Ferreira Dos Santos family and
it was decided to invest in a project of artistic and
cultural import that would at the same time have a major
beneficial social spin-off.
A brand-new Fiat 500 1.4 and all the art materials
donated by Técnica Industrial, the company owned by the
Ferreira Dos Santos family, served as the inspirational
canvas for the artist’s imagination. Malangatana named
the vehicle which he worked on in his final month of
life in Maputo, “The Italian”. Day after day, on his way
to the dealership, where he worked under cover, he would
announce that he had a meeting with his “Italian Woman”.
The result is a striking fusion of Italian design and
evocative African symbolism. The flanks of the 500 are
adorned with mesmerising nature-inspired imagery; a
unique touch embellishing the rear and the dashboard is
Malangatana’s characteristically flamboyant signature
embossed in aluminium.
“The Italian Woman” will go on show to the entire world
on the www.sapo.mz portal from the 5th May till the 6th
June, by means of a virtual auction run by Sapo
Mozambique, the media and technology partner for this
initiative. All proceeds from the sale will go to the
Malangatana Foundation, a charity which raises funds for
needy Mozambicans.
According to a spokesperson for the Malangatana
Foundation: “The recent death of Malangatana did not
allow him to personally introduce his “Italian Woman” to
the world. That task instead fell to those of us that
were closely involved with the project and, in a small
way, allowed us to pay homage to an all-time great
Africa artist, an icon in the Mozambican cultural
landscape and, above all, an extraordinary human being.
“The Italian Woman” is a crowning tribute to a memorable
artist’s fruitful life and serves to commemorate and
perpetuate his name in space and time.”
Malangatana
Malangatana Valente Ngwenya was born on the 6th of June
1936, in the district of Marracuene. He was a renowned
Mozambican artist and poet, known internationally by his
first name. He produced and worked in various mediums,
from painting, sculpture, ceramics, murals to poetry and
music. His works revolved around political and
historical happenings in Mozambique, focusing until 1975
on the injustices perpetrated by the Portuguese
colonialism and the anti-colonial war. Post
independence, the focus shifted to themes centred on the
civil war. After this period his work began to evolve
around broader, universal themes, capturing life’s
hardships and its heroic aspects; thereafter the 80’s
were a more sensual period focusing on love.
Along the years, he had several personal exhibitions in
Mozambique, Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, Chile, Cuba,
United States, Spain, India, Hong Kong, Portugal and
Turkey.
He was awarded the Nachingwea medal for his contribution
to Mozambican culture and was made part of an official
order of Infante D. Henrique in Portugal. In 1997,
UNESCO named him “Artist for Peace” and was handed the
Prince Claus prize.
He passed away on the 5th of January in Matosinhos,
Portugal.
Fiat & Alfa Romeo Maputo
Fiat & Alfa Romeo Maputo is part of the JFS
Group, a Mozambican-based family company which was
founded by Joao Ferreira Dos Santos over 100 years ago.
The Group has interests in several industries including
agriculture, metals and real estate. The automotive
division with distribution rights for five different
automotive brands falls under the Técnica Industrial
banner.
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