Zimbabwe: Rasta the Artist – From Sketching Mandela, Honouring Legends and Painting Africa’s Heritage

September is Heritage Month in South Africa — a time to celebrate the nation’s cultural diversity, traditions, and stories that shape its identity. Few artists embody that spirit more than Lebani “Rasta” Sirenje, a painter whose bold portraits of iconic figures have made him one of the most recognisable cultural voices in the country.

Early beginnings

“I’m Lebani David Thaka Sirenje, born in Zimbabwe, Bulawayo in Pumula East, born to a Zimbabwean mother and a Mozambican father. I grew up in…