Known as the 'Goya of the Townships', Zwelidumile Geelboi Mgxaji Mhlaba 'Dumile' Feni was a South African artist celebrated for his powerful, emotionally charged drawings, paintings, and sculptures that captured the struggle and humanity of life under apartheid. Born in Worcester in 1942, he began his artistic journey while apprenticing at a sculpture foundry in Johannesburg and later studied at the Jubilee Art Centre under Cecil Skotnes.
Feni's career gained momentum after a period of illness at the SANTA tuberculosis hospital, where he began drawing seriously and created murals with artist Ephraim Ngatane. In 1967, he was selected to represent South Africa at the São Paulo Biennial, but after criticism and increasing pressure from apartheid laws, he went into self-imposed exile in London in 1968, later moving to the United States.
Feni’s monochromatic, figurative works often reflected musical influences, especially jazz, and conveyed deep psychological and social insight. His symbolic portraits, such as those of Chief Albert Luthuli, highlighted his ability to convey dignity and depth through expressive form. Justice Albie Sachs praised Feni’s art for its profound empathy and resistance without sensationalism.
Feni died in New York in 1991, shortly before returning to South Africa. He has been honoured by the South African government for his contributions to art and the anti-apartheid struggle.
