Thami Mnyele + Medu Art Ensemble Retrospective

A companion volume to the art exhibition centering on Thami Mnyele, the late artist and member of the Medu Art Ensemble—an antiapartheid arts organization in Gaborone, Botswana, which disbanded after a violent raid of their headquarters in 1985 that killed Mnyele—this volume pays tribute to his art, notes his contributions to the graphics unit of Medu, and presents archival material about Medu itself. More than a simple catalog, this magnificently designed book is arranged in 10 sections, mirroring the different operating units of Medu. An extensive chapter illustrating the screen-printed political posters—some of which are now iconic images of the anti-apartheid movemet—is contextualized with snapshots of Mnyele and George Metz creating the works in Medu’s makeshift silk-screen studio under a tree in the fierce African heat.