Mahlangu's Umgwalo
Explore the enduring power and captivating stories behind Esther Mahlangu's "murals" now better known by their true name umgwalo; from their creation to their preservation
By Art of Contemporary Africa
Content curated as an extension of the "Then I Knew I Was Good at Painting": Esther Mahlangu, A Retrospective exhibition timeline and ongoing research
Botshabelo 2023Art of Contemporary Africa
What happened to Botshabelo?
Whilst Botshabelo still stands, it has no formal administration and access to the site remains precarious due to the lack of preservation and maintenance.
These pictures were captured by the research team for "Then I Knew I Was Good at Painting": Esther Mahlangu, A Retrospective in 2023. What has remained intact from the existing buildings is made of traditionally prepared clay bricks and coats of weather-resistant acrylic paints.
Émile Roux School (1991)Art of Contemporary Africa
Émile Roux School 'umgwalo' in Angoulême, France
Painted in 1991, this umgwalo was part of the Quartiers-Lumières initiative. Mahlangu ran a workshop on Ndebele art for the children at the same school. Here she is pictured (from left to right) with curator Étienne Féau, Elias Mahlangu, Esther Mahlangu and Daniel Crumb.
2025/2026 preservation effort
It is generally understood that the work has been significant to the local community. However, the school is planned to close in 2026, and efforts are being made to preserve the umgwalo.
This is an image of Mahlangu painting this umgwalo in 1991.
Here are some images taken by Étienne Féau (former chief curator at the Center for Research and Restoration of the Museums of France) and the Angoulême preservation team in 2024 that show the current state of the school's umgwalo.
Partage d'Exotisme: 5th Biennale of Contemporary ArtArt of Contemporary Africa
The intentionally destroyed umgwalo
Some of Mahlangu's umgwalo were never made for longevity. This 2000 artwork titled 'U'gwala', for the Lyon Biennale (France) was made only for the exhibition. Much like her 1989 work for Magiciens de la Terre, the structure was taken down when the exhibit ended.
Here are some of the umgwalo that formed part of buildings that have since been broken down during the renovation of art institutions. On the left, a mural done for the National Museum of Women in the Arts in the USA (1994) and on the right the Indoor umgwalo at Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Angoulême in France (1989).
A lot of Mahlangu's umgwalo remain highly localized within their areas and as of 2025, we have yet to discover all their stories.
Alexandra Township Stadium umgwaloArt of Contemporary Africa
#MahlanguUmgwalo
The umgwalo pictured here was painted in Alexandra Township Stadium in 1996 and we don't know if it still stands. Review the works on the upcoming slides to see if any are still in your area, then capture a recent photo and tag them #MahlanguUmgwalo on Google Maps.
Alexandra Township Stadium (South Africa)
The original umgwalo was created in 1996 for an ADAPT (Agisanang Domestic Abuse Prevention and Training) event. To read more about this, check out the story Mahlangu and Advocacy.
Amiens (France)
This umgwalo was completed in 2000 and sat in the foyer of what we have evidence to believe is the Maison de la Culture d'Amiens. If you're interested in knowing more about this, check out the story Mahlangu in the Start of a New Century.
Grimaldi Forum (Monaco)
This umgwalo was completed in 2005 as part of the exhibit Arts of Africa. If you're interested in reading more about the time this work was created in then check out the story Mahlangu's Mid-2000s Murals.
Villacaccia di Lestizza (Italy)
This umgwalo was completed in 2009 and formed part of an artist residency that Mahlangu participated in. If you are interested in learning more about this work then check out the story Artist Residencies.
Mandela Forum (Italy)
Created in 2010, this umgwalo in Florence was done both in celebration of the Soccer World Cup of that year and as a donation by the South African Ministry of Arts and Culture. To read more check out the story Mahlangu and Italy.
A special thanks to:
Étienne Féau and his team for keeping us up-to-date on the 1991 Angoulême umgwalo preservation effort which is featured in this story.
The Esther Mahlangu Research team members, Khotso Lamola and Ilze Wolff from Wolff Architects as well as researcher, Aarti Shah for documentation of Botshabelo in 2023.
Other images were graciously offered by Esther Mahlangu's Family Archives during the course of research. These images were then made accessible to public in the exhibition timeline of "Then I Knew I Was Good at Painting": Esther Mahlangu, A Retrospective (2024-2025) and related projects.
Interested in Natural history?
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