Madiba (Nelson Mandela)

About the artwork

Often termed the “father of the nation” in his native South Africa, Nelson Mandela (also referred to by his Xhosa clan name, Madiba) is widely hailed as one of the great freedom fighters of the twentieth century. Here, Makeba KEEBS Rainey pays tribute to the political prisoner turned head of state, showing him with a defiantly raised fist, his business suit transformed into bright, patterned fabrics reminiscent of popular African textiles. He stands before a similarly transformed South African flag—the same one adopted in 1994, the year he became the country’s first black president.