Idasse Tembe, Leading Figure in Mozambique’s Visual Arts, Dies

His death was confirmed by the Núcleo de Arte, which did not disclose the cause.

Idasse Tembe, whose full name was Idasse Ekson Malendza Tembe, was born on 1 July 1955 in the Infulene Valley, Maputo Province, and was 71 years old.

“Today we have not only lost an artist, we have lost one of our pillars. He was a master, an adviser, a friend and a brother,” the Núcleo de Arte said in a tribute.

The organisation said Idasse’s legacy would live on not only through his artwork, but also through the generations of artists he helped train and inspire throughout his career.

The Fernando Leite Couto Foundation also mourned his death, describing it as a loss for Mozambican art and culture.

The Camões – Portuguese Cultural Centre in Maputo described Idasse as one of the key figures in Mozambique’s contemporary visual arts.

Throughout his career, he worked in drawing, painting and ceramics, taking part in exhibitions both in Mozambique and abroad.

His works are held in public and private collections in Mozambique and in several other countries, including South Africa, Nigeria, Portugal, France, Spain, the United States, Italy, Japan, Brazil and Sweden.

Idasse studied art at the former Manuel Sena Secondary School and, in 1979, attended a Cultural Animator course at the Centre for Cultural Studies, where he came into contact with artists such as Malangatana and Domingos Manhiça.

He later completed training in Graphic Communication under the guidance of Portuguese painter António Quadros.

The artist also worked at Mozambique’s National Film Institute, where he was involved in the creation of its art department.

He was a member of the Mozambican Photography Association and the Mozambican Writers’ Association, and was also part of the literary magazine “Charrua”.

Throughout his career, he illustrated works by writers including Marcelo Panguana, Eduardo White, Juvenal Bucuane and Luís Carlos Patraquim.

From 1982 onwards, he dedicated himself exclusively to the visual arts, building a career that was also marked by his role as a mentor and trainer of younger artists.