On July 18, Nelson Mandela would have turned 102. The architect of South Africa’s freedom struggle, Mandela - affectionately called Madiba - spent 27 years in prison and later served as the independent nation’s first president.
From the rolling hills and scattered villages of Qunu in the Eastern Cape, to memories of the prison cells of Robben Island, to the sacred sidewalk on Vilakazi Street in Soweto – South Africa offers a chance to follow in the footsteps of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.
July 18 is United Nations International Nelson Mandela Day. On this day, let’s find his footprints virtually.
Situated in Vilakazi Street, the house that Mandela moved into in 1946 offers great insight into the Mandela family. “It was the opposite of grand,” he wrote in his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, “but it was my first true home of my own and I was mightily proud.” The house is filled with memorabilia about the family, complete with photographs and visuals.
Google Street View Url is here:
Constitution Hill
For long, the Constitution Hill (Johannesburg) functioned mainly as a prison. It was here that Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, along with other passive resistors, were held. The site has two permanent exhibitions that revolve around the lives of Gandhi and Mandela. Number Four section of the prison narrates the horrific prison conditions of the time and the difference in how prisoners of different races were treated. Now, Constitution Hill is a museum and the home to South Africa’s constitutional court.
Url: https://www.constitutionhill.org.za
Capture Site
After evading the Apartheid authorities for nearly 17 months, it was here that Mandela was arrested on August 5, 1962. That day, the policed flagged down a car driven by Mandela dressed in a chauffeur’s uniform while he was returning from a secret meeting with the African National Congress president. The historic site now has a sculpture comprising 50 steel rods that align to create a magnificent portrait of Mandela.
Google Street View Url:https://www.google.com/maps/@-29.4681918,30.1703826,2a,75y,228.21h,95.64t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sizWlQwYx7n4Zl8MLaEFvUw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
Robben Island
Nelson Mandela spent 18 years in prison on Robben Island, a little island situated off the coast of Cape Town. From the 17th to the 20th century, the island was a place of imprisonment. Now a World Heritage Site and museum, today, it is a beacon of hope and a place where visitors can gain some insight into the life and times of Nelson Mandela and fellow freedom fighters.
Google offers a narrated tour – complete with a visit to Mandela’s 6.5 x 6.5 foot cell – led by Vusumsi Mcongo, an anti-Apartheid activist who was imprisoned on Robben Island from 1978-1990.
Url: https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/robben-island-prison-tour/mQIim-e6wopSJw
Apartheid Museum
Situated south of Johannesburg and opened in 2001, the Apartheid Museum is acknowledged throughout the world for its display of the rise and fall of Apartheid. Spare at least a couple of hours to learn about Apartheid, the discriminatory system that Mandela fought against.
Google Earth Url: https://earth.google.com/static/wasm/9.3.114.1/app_min.html#search/aparth/@-26.23779181,28.00904267,1715.8081047a,0d,60y,160h,99.99970754t,0r/data=Cl4SNBIgNzJiY2M3NDc1NzA4MTFlOWJlM2Q1Yjg4NDU1MWIwMmYiEGFwYXJ0aGVpZC1tdXNldW0iJgokCc0jGyfqNzrAEd5BGgHkRTrAGTxQnq87AjxAIdmbSo89-TtAIhoKFng5TkptcnZvekNkcS1tTlRfV291cmcQAg
Route 67
Port Elizabeth includes Nelson Mandela Bay where one can find Route 67 –a collection of 67 art pieces by 67 local artists celebrating the 67 years Nelson Mandela devoted to public life, and his contribution to the freedom struggle in South Africa. It begins at the Campanile in Strand Street and winds its way through the Central Business District, through Vuyisile Mini Square, past the City Library, up the steps of St Mary's Terrace and up to the Great Flag in the Donkin Reserve.
Url: https://www.nmbt.co.za/listing/route_67.html
(All photographs courtesy: South Africa Tourism Board)
Mandela Said It
- No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite
- For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others
- As I have said, the first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself... Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, but humility
- You will achieve more in this world through acts of mercy than you will through acts of retribution
- Your playing small does not serve the world. Who are you not to be great?
- A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination
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