Achieving global fame with a chicken feather

[Photo/Agencies]

In Paris, she painted a replica of her hut for an exhibition.

Mahlangu's heavily wrinkled face lights up in disbelief when showcasing what she has been doing since she was a child.

"I used only chicken feathers, no brushes," she says.

"I am an ordinary Ndebele woman, doing what I was taught by my mother and grandmother."

She says she was amazed by the interest her work attracted, an experience that prompted her to teach the age-old Ndebele skill to youngsters in her village.

"My aim is to preserve the Ndebele culture. I don't want it to get lost with civilization," she says.

German carmaker BMW has collaborated with Mahlangu on two occasions, when she painted the body of their luxury sedans with her iconic Ndebele shapes.