Experience Mandela on a personal level

STAFF REPORTER

NDILEKA Mandela considers herself fortunate.

As the granddaughter of one of the most iconic leaders in the world, the 55-year-old enjoyed a side to Nelson Mandela that not many others were privy to.

While most others were only given glimpses into Mandela’s life as a president, a political leader of the ANC, and a political prisoner, Ndileka enjoyed out-of-the spotlight moments with her grandfather, learning about the human being behind one of the world’s most influential leaders.

Now South Africans and the rest of the world will get to experience Madiba on a personal level just like Ndileka did.

For the next few weeks, South Africans will be given an all access experience into Madiba’s life at the MANDELA, My Life: The Official Exhibition in Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton City.

The exhibition, in partnership with Richmark Holdings and TEG Live, opened on Thursday and will be on show to until July 20.

Ndileka said she was excited to share her grandfather with the world.

“The story of my grandfather is told in many ways but this exhibition gives us a broader glimpse into his life story which was a life of sacrifice and leadership,” she said.

The exhibition begins with a series of large paintings by John Meyer, one of hills, presumably in the Eastern Cape, where three young boys are seen running through rays of sunshine and blades of tall grass.

The entrance engulfs the viewers, enabling them to fully immerse themselves in what is about to be an excellently curated narrative of Nelson Mandela.

The first gallery invites viewers to feel the power and emotion of one of the most significant moments of Mandela’s life – the moment he puts apartheid on trial, supported by the original recording of Nelson Mandela’s Rivonia Trial speech in 1964 and illustrative depictions of the courtroom as Mandela deliver his speech.

The second gallery explores Mandela’s family life and narrates his journey from childhood through a spectacular seven-metre-long scenic projection wall of animations and landscapes.

Elements of Mandela’s childhood are brought to life in an audio-visual piece that uses Mandela’s own words and images of his childhood homes in the Transkei.

The third gallery explores the influences that shaped Mandela’s theory of mind, presented through original artefacts, documents and film extracts that allow visitors to delve into the early life of Mandela as he established himself in Joburg.

Personal items include photographs of Mandela with his first wife, Evelyn, and their children as well as his second wife, Winnie.

The gallery also examines the means and methods by which Mandela navigated apartheid and explores how this experience motivated his early political activism.

There are ten galleries and viewers can expect to spend around two hours of experience in the exhibition.

Struggle stalwart Trevor Manuel visited the exhibition on Thursday and said he was blown away.

“Madiba’s legacy is a fundamentally important legacy. Not as the president, not as the leader of the ANC, not as a political prisoner, [but] as an all-encompassing human being who understood that history is shaped by people,” said Manuel.

Former Springbok captain John Smit said: “You think you’ve got an understanding of the journey but coming through here, you realise there’s so much more to the story that spans over decades and so this for me was a re-education of probably the richest part of South African history.”

Sello Hatang, chief executive of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, said they were hoping the exhibition will remind South Africans of the responsibility of building the country of Madiba’s dreams.