by Jacob Mahlangu & Arushi Chakravarti
The Transcultural Student Research Group had the privilege of coming to South Africa to explore the country and, for some of its members, to conduct interviews for the research project given to each group. During their visit they went to places of significance marking the history of the country. We were then told to write blog posts about the places we visited. Although I did not have the pleasure to be part of the Group during their stay in Pretoria, South Africa, my group member Arushi from Zeppelin University attended and she has shared her experience with me. The Mandela Foundation Tour and the Apartheid museum were the destinations chosen for us. Nelson Mandela (born in Eastern Cape) was a lawyer and freedom fighter during the apartheid era, who was arrested for 27 years, released in 1990 and became the South African president through free and fair elections in 1994 in its new democracy. These places are relevant to our research project since we are investigating colonial legacies and their influence on indigenous knowledge for sustainable development.The relevance is based on the inquiry of the existence of suppression of knowledge and inventions from indigenous people by Western traditions and education in the modern day.
Nelson Mandela’s story also invites observers and spectators to question how far we have come in our nascent democracy, whether the legacy of apartheid persists in today’s world.The building has a life sized statue of Nelson Mandela outside and right next to it on the left-hand side there was a black and white portrait of Nelson Mandela with the words “Welcome” in white letters. The foundation mentions its sponsors and collaborators on a wooden board inside the building. These stakeholders are classified into two categories, the “Legacy Champions” and “Legacy Partners”. Within the building there were large advertisement posts each with a distinct colour and bearing the names of different destinations written at the top of each post, such as: NELSON MANDELA BRIDGE, NELSON MANDELA THEATRE, NELSON MANDELA CENTRE OF MEMORY, NELSON MANDELA PARK, NELSON MANDELA SQUARE etc.
The inside of the building is meticulously equipped,has glass shelves and a gallery of books, black and white vintage pictures, a couple of screens and clippings and posters of extracts from newspaper articles reporting on notable events that took place during the days of the struggle. One interesting picture is a black and white photo in a black frame and shows Makgatho Mandela (Nelson Mandela’s son) as a young boy sitting on a chair with his hands resting on his lap and touching each other. There is also an enlarged printed article written “Message by Nelson Mandela on Women’s day” dated “1995-08-09”, which states that the year was the 39th anniversary marking the historical march conducted by women opposing pass laws at the Union Building. The article states that the day has been declared a national holiday and in the article Nelson Mandela talks about having the momentum to build one people and a country that is united. He also talks about the implementation of the Reconstruction and Development Programme, women sharing the spirit of Masakhane, and working together to form a learning culture and defeating crime.
Another beautiful room has a brown cabinet with a library of shelved books and in front of it, it has a large maroon chair, a table and two other smaller maroon chairs, right next to them on the left hand side there are two other silver chairs positioned side by side and facing the wall there are green curtains with pictures in black frames on the walls showing Mandela’s relatives as children, a picture of Nelson Mandela in his old age with his right fist raised up, a picture of him sitting down in his famous gold shirt and a white woman on his right hand sided talking to him;- on the same frame there is another image of him sitting down addressing two gentlemen and another one with him staring straight into the camera while smiling and holding another elderly gentleman’s hand while sitting in the maroon chair. It is actually a picture taken in that very room.
The last of the images included in this single frame is an image of Nelson Mandela addressing two women of colour (possibly Indian judging by their clothing) at his desk while they are sitting opposite him, another one shows him standing and holding a white stick with three gentlemen in black suits and two women with red dresses standing right next to him. Another wall shows clippings of art work with butterfly shapes and different coloured papers and also papers with painted butterflies, with one paper in black at the top right hand side written in white “Butterfly souls”. Another room has pictures framed and mounted on stands that look like doors and that are placed in a manner where they follow each other (the stands) and they slide side-ways when one wants to view a picture in its entirety. The pictures look animated or painted. What one can learn from the place is that it has less to do with showcasing the brutalities of Apartheid but more about sharing loving and happy memories of Mandela’s life, with him spending time in his office, being visited by different delegates, meeting people of a grander stature, his dedication and efforts in taking part in other causes such as for women and also his diplomatic side (one wall is dedicated to the memories of the Gaza conflict). The tour featured a portrait of Mandela as a peaceful and humble man whom everyone wanted to be around. The tour focused on style, meticulousness, class, quality, and elegance, making it a great spectacle for tourists. Nelson Mandela has been showcased in his historical glory, family memories, a life well lived with others, a participant in crucial events that commemorate others’ attempts at fighting injustice during the struggle, a diplomatic voice for others’ current struggles, and a promoter of peace and freedom.
