Maurus Michael Malikita, 1967

Maurus Malikita was born in 1967 in Nachingwea, Tanzania. He is married and has two sons. Although not of Makua origin — he is Mwera — Malikita has become one of the most successful Tingatinga painters of his generation.

Trained as a carpenter, Malikita worked in that profession until 1988, when he joined the Tingatinga Arts Cooperative Society (TACS). His favorite themes include chaotic city scenes, street vendors, and public hospitals, all depicted in a lively, cartoon-like style that has become his signature.

source: “Tinga Tinga, the popular paintings from Tanzania,” Y. Goscinny and “Art in Tanzania 1999,” Y. Goscinny