diff --git
a/package/python-matplotlib/0003-Simplify-file-handling-in-ft2font.patch
b/package/python-matplotlib/0003-Simplify-file-handling-in-ft2font.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..392d1195f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/package/python-matplotlib/0003-Simplify-file-handling-in-ft2font.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,261 @@
+--- a/src/ft2font_wrapper.cpp    2019-03-01 04:33:38.000000000 +0100
++++ b/src/ft2font_wrapper.cpp    2021-03-17 02:22:07.580939585 +0100
+@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
+ #include "mplutils.h"
+ #include "ft2font.h"
+-#include "file_compat.h"
+ #include "py_converters.h"
+ #include "py_exceptions.h"
+ #include "numpy_cpp.h"
+@@ -328,12 +327,7 @@
+     FT2Font *x;
+     PyObject *fname;
+     PyObject *py_file;
+-    FILE *fp;
+-    int close_file;
+-    mpl_off_t offset;
+     FT_StreamRec stream;
+-    FT_Byte *mem;
+-    size_t mem_size;
+     Py_ssize_t shape[2];
+     Py_ssize_t strides[2];
+     Py_ssize_t suboffsets[2];
+@@ -344,118 +338,43 @@
+                                              unsigned char *buffer,
+                                              unsigned long count)
+ {
+-
+-    PyFT2Font *def = (PyFT2Font *)stream->descriptor.pointer;
+-
+-    if (fseek(def->fp, offset, SEEK_SET) == -1) {
+-        return 0;
++    PyObject *py_file = ((PyFT2Font
*)stream->descriptor.pointer)->py_file;
++    PyObject *seek_result = NULL, *read_result = NULL;
++    Py_ssize_t n_read = 0;
++    if (!(seek_result = PyObject_CallMethod(py_file, "seek", "k", offset))
++        || !(read_result = PyObject_CallMethod(py_file, "read", "k",
count))) {
++        goto exit;
++    }
++    char *tmpbuf;
++    if (PyBytes_AsStringAndSize(read_result, &tmpbuf, &n_read) == -1) {
++        goto exit;
+     }
+-
+-    if (count > 0) {
+-        return fread(buffer, 1, count, def->fp);
++    memcpy(buffer, tmpbuf, n_read);
++exit:
++    Py_XDECREF(seek_result);
++    Py_XDECREF(read_result);
++    if (PyErr_Occurred()) {
++        PyErr_WriteUnraisable(py_file);
++        if (!count) {
++            return 1;  // Non-zero signals error, when count == 0.
++        }
+     }
+-
+-    return 0;
++    return n_read;
+ }
+
+ static void close_file_callback(FT_Stream stream)
+ {
+-    PyFT2Font *def = (PyFT2Font *)stream->descriptor.pointer;
+-
+-    if (mpl_PyFile_DupClose(def->py_file, def->fp, def->offset)) {
+-        throw std::runtime_error("Couldn't close file");
+-    }
+-
+-    if (def->close_file) {
+-        mpl_PyFile_CloseFile(def->py_file);
+-    }
+-
+-    Py_DECREF(def->py_file);
+-    def->py_file = NULL;
+-}
+-
+-static int convert_open_args(PyFT2Font *self, PyObject *py_file_arg,
FT_Open_Args *open_args)
+-{
+-    PyObject *py_file = NULL;
+-    int close_file = 0;
+-    FILE *fp;
+-    PyObject *data = NULL;
+-    char *data_ptr;
+-    Py_ssize_t data_len;
+-    long file_size;
+-    FT_Byte *new_memory;
+-    mpl_off_t offset = 0;
+-
+-    int result = 0;
+-
+-    memset((void *)open_args, 0, sizeof(FT_Open_Args));
+-
+-    if (PyBytes_Check(py_file_arg) || PyUnicode_Check(py_file_arg)) {
+-        if ((py_file = mpl_PyFile_OpenFile(py_file_arg, (char *)"rb"))
== NULL) {
+-            goto exit;
+-        }
+-        close_file = 1;
+-    } else {
+-        Py_INCREF(py_file_arg);
+-        py_file = py_file_arg;
+-    }
+-
+-    if ((fp = mpl_PyFile_Dup(py_file, (char *)"rb", &offset))) {
+-        Py_INCREF(py_file);
+-        self->py_file = py_file;
+-        self->close_file = close_file;
+-        self->fp = fp;
+-        self->offset = offset;
+-        fseek(fp, 0, SEEK_END);
+-        file_size = ftell(fp);
+-        fseek(fp, 0, SEEK_SET);
+-
+-        self->stream.base = NULL;
+-        self->stream.size = (unsigned long)file_size;
+-        self->stream.pos = 0;
+-        self->stream.descriptor.pointer = self;
+-        self->stream.read = &read_from_file_callback;
+-        self->stream.close = &close_file_callback;
+-
+-        open_args->flags = FT_OPEN_STREAM;
+-        open_args->stream = &self->stream;
+-    } else {
+-        if (PyObject_HasAttrString(py_file_arg, "read") &&
+-            (data = PyObject_CallMethod(py_file_arg, (char *)"read",
(char *)""))) {
+-            if (PyBytes_AsStringAndSize(data, &data_ptr, &data_len)) {
+-                goto exit;
+-            }
+-
+-            if (self->mem) {
+-                free(self->mem);
+-            }
+-            self->mem = (FT_Byte *)malloc((self->mem_size + data_len)
* sizeof(FT_Byte));
+-            if (self->mem == NULL) {
+-                goto exit;
+-            }
+-            new_memory = self->mem + self->mem_size;
+-            self->mem_size += data_len;
+-
+-            memcpy(new_memory, data_ptr, data_len);
+-            open_args->flags = FT_OPEN_MEMORY;
+-            open_args->memory_base = new_memory;
+-            open_args->memory_size = data_len;
+-            open_args->stream = NULL;
+-        } else {
+-            PyErr_SetString(PyExc_TypeError,
+-                            "First argument must be a path or file
object reading bytes");
+-            goto exit;
+-        }
++    PyFT2Font *self = (PyFT2Font *)stream->descriptor.pointer;
++    PyObject *close_result = NULL;
++    if (!(close_result = PyObject_CallMethod(self->py_file, "close",
""))) {
++        goto exit;
+     }
+-
+-    result = 1;
+-
+ exit:
+-
+-    Py_XDECREF(py_file);
+-    Py_XDECREF(data);
+-
+-    return result;
++    Py_XDECREF(close_result);
++    Py_CLEAR(self->py_file);
++    if (PyErr_Occurred()) {
++        PyErr_WriteUnraisable((PyObject*)self);
++    }
+ }
+
+ static PyTypeObject PyFT2FontType;
+@@ -467,12 +386,7 @@
+     self->x = NULL;
+     self->fname = NULL;
+     self->py_file = NULL;
+-    self->fp = NULL;
+-    self->close_file = 0;
+-    self->offset = 0;
+     memset(&self->stream, 0, sizeof(FT_StreamRec));
+-    self->mem = 0;
+-    self->mem_size = 0;
+     return (PyObject *)self;
+ }
+
+@@ -503,35 +417,54 @@
+     "  underline_thickness    vertical thickness of the underline\n"
+     "  postscript_name        PostScript name of the font\n";
+
+-static void PyFT2Font_fail(PyFT2Font *self)
+-{
+-    free(self->mem);
+-    self->mem = NULL;
+-    Py_XDECREF(self->py_file);
+-    self->py_file = NULL;
+-}
+-
+ static int PyFT2Font_init(PyFT2Font *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwds)
+ {
+-    PyObject *fname;
++    PyObject *filename = NULL, *open = NULL, *data = NULL;
+     FT_Open_Args open_args;
+     long hinting_factor = 8;
+     const char *names[] = { "filename", "hinting_factor", NULL };
+
+     if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(
+-             args, kwds, "O|l:FT2Font", (char **)names, &fname,
&hinting_factor)) {
++             args, kwds, "O|l:FT2Font", (char **)names, &filename,
&hinting_factor)) {
+         return -1;
+     }
+
+-    if (!convert_open_args(self, fname, &open_args)) {
+-        return -1;
++    self->stream.base = NULL;
++    self->stream.size = 0x7fffffff;  // Unknown size.
++    self->stream.pos = 0;
++    self->stream.descriptor.pointer = self;
++    self->stream.read = &read_from_file_callback;
++    memset((void *)&open_args, 0, sizeof(FT_Open_Args));
++    open_args.flags = FT_OPEN_STREAM;
++    open_args.stream = &self->stream;
++
++    if (PyBytes_Check(filename) || PyUnicode_Check(filename)) {
++        if (!(open = PyDict_GetItemString(PyEval_GetBuiltins(),
"open"))  // Borrowed reference.
++            || !(self->py_file = PyObject_CallFunction(open, "Os",
filename, "rb"))) {
++            goto exit;
++        }
++        self->stream.close = &close_file_callback;
++    } else if (!PyObject_HasAttrString(filename, "read")
++               || !(data = PyObject_CallMethod(filename, "read", "i", 0))
++               || !PyBytes_Check(data)) {
++        PyErr_SetString(PyExc_TypeError,
++                        "First argument must be a path or binary-mode
file object");
++        goto exit;
++    } else {
++        self->py_file = filename;
++        self->stream.close = NULL;
++        Py_INCREF(filename);
+     }
+
+     CALL_CPP_FULL(
+-        "FT2Font", (self->x = new FT2Font(open_args, hinting_factor)),
PyFT2Font_fail(self), -1);
++        "FT2Font", (self->x = new FT2Font(open_args, hinting_factor)),
++        Py_CLEAR(self->py_file), -1);
+
+-    Py_INCREF(fname);
+-    self->fname = fname;
++    Py_INCREF(filename);
++    self->fname = filename;
