Major global exhibition on Nelson Mandella will make its debut in London 2019

Nelson Mandela, was a lawyer, a revolutionary, a political prisoner, a world leader, an elder statesman and the first black president of South Africa.

For the past 50 years and 5 years since his death, he is still viewed as an icon – a symbol of the struggle against oppression to so many people across the world. He remains a human rights icon and an advocate for change.

Now a major new exhibition, Nelson Mandela: The Official Exhibition celebrating his life and legacy makes its World Premiere at 26 Leake Street, London from February 8th, 2019 . It will feature many previously unseen artifacts.

In collaboration with the Royal House of Mandela and the Mvezo Development Trust, Nelson Mandela: The Official Exhibition is presented in celebration of the 100th year of his birth and to honour the 5th year of his passing.

The Artiscape went along to the South African High Commission, London on 10 October 2018 where Nkosi Zwelivelile, the traditional leader of Mvezo and the grandson of former President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, spoke about his memory of his grandfather and to mark the coming exhibition.

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Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela said of the exhibition: 

“The Royal House of Mandela is delighted to endorse this exhibition honouring the life and legacy of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela as it truly captures the spirit of our global icon whose name has become synonymous with international solidarity, justice and peace.

It succeeds in quintessentially depicting the man and the legend whose struggle and sacrifice has captivated the hearts and minds of millions around the world.

This exhibition is truly an inspiration and an inspired effort; I believe that everyone who sees it will agree that the legacy lives on and that the dream will never die. London and the United Kingdom more broadly was home to many South African exiles and activists in the anti-apartheid struggle.

In the 1980s and ‘90s Trafalgar Square and South Africa House was the scene of many a picket and protest action and this news found its way to Mandela in his cell, either in encoded messages, by word of mouth and in the latter years, via news clippings.

It was therefore no surprise that Madiba chose London as one of the first cities outside Africa to visit as a free man after his 27-year incarceration. I can say without the slightest doubt that Madiba would have given his stamp of approval to staging this exhibition in London.” 

Monday 8th October 2018, Nkosi took us on a guided walk through Brixton, South London.

Here he retraced the historical footsteps his grandfather took on the 12^th July 1996 – the city that resonated greatly in Mandela’s heart as key to the anti-apartheid movement.

That was the day the people of Brixton will never forget, when Nelson Mandela arrived at Brixton Recreation Centre, to be greeted by more than 12,000 supporters.

Identifying Brixton as a central place in the UK black civil rights movement, Mandela acknowledged the support the Brixton community had given to the anti-apartheid movement.

Brixton had its own history of racial tensions in the past. 1981 saw the Brixton riots, a confrontation between the Metropolitan Police and protesters.

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Nelson Mandela: The Official Exhibition reveals his epic story in a series of experiential zones. It takes visitors on Mandela’s life journey, from his little-known beginnings in rural Mvezo, Transkei, through decades of turbulent struggle against the apartheid regime, to his eventual vindication and final years as South Africa’s first black president, ‘Father of South Africa’, and a globally loved and respected figure. 

Designed to educate, entertain and inspire Nelson Mandela: The Official Exhibition uses many personal belongings and objects never previously seen outside of South Africa.

Artifacts include;

• The suit Mandella wore for the opening of the South African parliament in 1996.
• a traditional headdress gifted to him by The King of Xhosa people King Xolilzwe; Sigcawu as he awarded Mandela the ancient tribal warrior honour of the Isithwalandwe Sesizwe, for the first time in two centuries;
• Mandella’s presidential desk and chair.
• His much loved iconic beige trench coat.

These personal objects, combined with immersive media presentations and scenic re-creations, will enable visitors to actively engage with and experience key moments in Nelson Mandela’s life.

Lizzy Moriarty, Exhibition Advisor to Nelson Mandela: The Official Exhibition said: 

“It is only once in a professional lifetime that a chance comes along to work on an exhibition of such magnitude, with objects which tell such a powerful story so relevant to our times. The exhibition is unusual in that it gives people the chance to get close to the man himself, as a family man, as an activist and as the peacemaker of his time. 

“Many of the objects in the exhibition come from his house and have never been catalogued or curated before. They accompanied him through his life and through them, we can speak of his extraordinary life and his contribution to reconciliation. It will be like wandering through his life with him guiding you and asking you what you would have done in the same situation.” 

Steven Swaby, Narrative Producer concludes: 

“This unique exhibition goes beyond the well-known ‘Mandela myth’ and reveals the inner stories of a remarkable life lived with remarkable courage, conviction and compassion.

It asks us to consider the meaning of Mandela in the here-and-now and explores the complexities of his legacy in a world where inequality and injustice are still a daily fact of life.” 

While Nelson Mandela’s story has been told many times before, what makes Nelson Mandela: The Official Exhibition different is it features unique insights from across the spectrum – from close family, friends and others who admired him from afar.

His personal artifacts and other material give us a closer look at the man behind the myth and who is often referred to as the “father of South Africa”.

LISTINGS INFORMATION 

www.mandelaexhibition.com 

Friday February 8th – Sunday 2nd June 2019 

26 Leake Street | South Bank | London | SE1 7NN (nearest Tube Waterloo)