Mozambique: Mafalala Museum co-founder Rui Laranjeira dies at 54

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Mozambique: Mafalala Museum co-founder Rui Laranjeira dies at 54

3:40 CAT | 20 Nov 2025

Photo: Notícias

Rui Laranjeira, historian, cultural manager and co-founder of the Mafalala Museum, died on Tuesday at the age of 54 from an illness at Maputo Central Hospital (HCM), the Museum announced.

Born in 1971, Laranjeira graduated in History with the thesis “A Marrabenta: sua Evolução e Estilização, 1950–2002” at Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM) and went on to complete a Master’s degree in Cultural Heritage Management in Australia. He later published his thesis as a book.

His career spanned academia, teaching and socio-cultural research, with a strong passion for urban music (marrabenta, unsi and pandza) and the social history of Maputo’s periphery. Laranjeira also dedicated himself to researching the cultural heritage of this territory and developing alternative narratives.

Rui Laranjeira was a co-founder of the Mafalala Museum, leading the research and documentation process, the community concept and the development of the exhibition narrative — a project that embodies the essence of his legacy.

The final farewell took place this Thursday, with a wake and eulogy at the Mafalala Museum, followed by a funeral mass at Maputo’s Cathedral and burial at Lhanguene Cemetery.

Source: Notícias