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Mandela: The Official Exhibition opened on July 18 at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis to celebrate International National Mandela Day. The exhibition honors Nelson Mandela, the late South African president and apartheid freedom fighter.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Director of Actor Interpretation and Theatre Aaron Bonds greeted guests and said, “We are honored to present a great evening celebrating one of the world’s most iconic figures, Nelson Mandela.”
The exhibit opened in London in 2019 in partnership with the Royal House of Mandela and has been touring for five years.
“Nelson Mandela devoted his life to abolishing apartheid, demonstrating that rather than resorting to violence and vengeance, we can work to dismantle systems of oppression through peaceful communication, compassion, and persistence,” Bonds said.
SUMMARY
Participants in this year’s Mandela Washington Fellowship program cohort were in attendance.
Bonds said each year the U.S. selects several hundred young leaders across sub-Saharan Africa to participate in a cultural exchange and professional development. He said this year Purdue University is hosting the fifth fellows cohort for six weeks. The program focuses on training, networking and community service with a focus on engineering and agribusiness.
“Each year, more than 50,000 people apply for this program,” he said. “Those selected are accomplished in their careers and dedicated to serving their communities.”
TAKEAWAY
Luvo Gugwana, a Mandela Washington Fellow, said he hopes exhibit visitors understand transcontinental connections and learn one another’s initiatives.
“I believe for us in the states, it’s very important for people to learn about us, the projects we’re working on back in Africa and what Africa means to us,” he said.
Gugwana said the biggest difference between life in the U.S. and in Africa is investment.
“I like the way policies here are driving social change. I like the way policies are driving inclusion,” he said. “In South Africa, we take a lot of policies and compare them to those in the states. We need to create policies that allow people to be free and express who they are.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
Mandela: The Official Exhibition is open through Jan. 20 at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.
This brief is adapted from notes taken by Documenter Stephanie Dolan, who covered the Mandela: Official Exhibition along with Documenter Sherrita Niles. Read more about what happened here. Want to join Documenters? Learn more here.
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