Born in 1934 in Muvesha, district of Marracuene, province of Maputo (Mozambique), Shikani was one of the most important African artists of the 20th century. Alongside Malangatana and Chissano, among others, he settled in the city of Beira in the 1970s. He lived in the Macurungo neighborhood, where he had his studio. Shikani worked for the Municipalized Services of Electricity in Beira, and later joined the Mozambique Electricity. In the mid-1990s, he resigned from the public company and returned to Maputo. While exhibiting his works in various Mozambican cities, Shikani also took his art to other continents, although he did not have the same success as other artists of his generation. His works were exhibited in Germany, Russia, Cuba, Hungary, and Portugal, among other countries. In Africa, Shikani exhibited in Zambia and Zimbabwe. He passed away in 2010 in Mozambique.