Ntiro wa manana (Mothers work)

Ntiro wa manana exemplifies Fumani Maluleke's distinctive approach of combining charcoal with vibrant pastel on paper. This powerful composition depicts three women engaged in agricultural labor, working with what appears to be wooden tools in a field. The composition itself performs a kind of choreography of labor, the bent bodies creating a visual rhythm that suggests both the repetitive nature of agricultural work and the communal bonds forged through shared effort. Yet there's nothing romanticized here—the brooding sky and sparse landscape acknowledge the harshness of rural subsistence. Fumani is working within a critical lineage of South African artists confronting the invisibility of Black women's labor, but with a distinctive visual vocabulary that merges documentary impulse with emotional gravity. The title itself performs important cultural work, using Xitsonga language to center indigenous knowledge systems and perspectives. Maluleke's technical mastery is evident in the detailed rendering of the figures against the minimalist landscape, creating a poignant statement about rural life and women's labor.

Created By

Fumani Maluleke