This event marks the launch of the Mandela and Me exhibition.
The exhibition commemorates 100 years since the birth of Nelson Mandela, and is the first of a series of events being held in the UK to mark the centenary.
The British Council South Africa wanted to mark the occasion in London, and link the centenary to its ongoing programme of work looking at the Next Generation South Africa, giving voice to young people from South Africa. This exhibition focuses on Mandela’s legacy, and what he means to young South Africans today.
Over the last 6 months, the British Council in South Africa has asked hundreds of the young people we work with to tell us what Mandela means to them. The results – represented in this exhibition – show that Mandela is still revered as the father of the rainbow nation, and his words, philosophies, and beliefs still resonate and are widely known and understood.
The exhibition juxtaposes the famous words and images of Mandela with those of some of the young people he has inspired. The young people’s views are elevated alongside those of Mandela, and it is testament to the power of his legacy that the words of the young people are often as lyrical and inspiring as his own.
Our partner in the exhibition is Anglo American mining. British Council works with Anglo at some of its mines in rural South Africa, with programmes like Active Citizens and most recently with the Micro:Bit coding-for-kids project. It has provided sponsorship in support of the production, and will take 8 young people from Rustenburg to London for the opening of the exhibition. All of the young people feature in the work.