The Apartheid Museum will honour poet and activist Don Mattera with a Mandela Day exhibition celebrating his legacy, resistance and contribution to South African culture.
The Apartheid Museum, in partnership with the Don Mattera Legacy Foundation, will unveil a Don Mattera Obituary Installation on Mandela Day, July 18, celebrating the life and legacy of one of South Africa’s most influential literary and cultural figures.
Don Mattera, who passed away on July 18, 2022, at the age of 85, was a celebrated poet, journalist, activist and author whose work documented the experiences of South Africans under apartheid.
Born Donato Francisco Mattera in Johannesburg’s Western Native Township, he was affectionately known as Bra Don, Zinga and Monnapula – the man who came with the rain. Later, as a Muslim, he was known as Muhammad Omaruddin.
Mattera became known as the Bard of Liberation, using poetry and journalism to challenge injustice and preserve the memories of communities affected by apartheid.
