This series of video tours leads viewers through each of the seven individual galleries comprising Nelson Mandela: The Official Exhibition.
The exhibition explores the life of one of history’s most iconic and revered figures in the global quest for social justice and racial equality. These videos follow each gallery’s chronicle of an era in Mandela’s life, depict the historical background of his struggle, and feature some of the original artifacts linked to each period.
Downloadable resources and conversation prompts to engage students are provided for each video as well.
Gallery 1: Meeting Mandela
This gallery introduces visitors to Nelson Mandela (also known as “Madiba” in South Africa, a tribal term of endearment and respect), the man who would survive 27 years in prison to emerge onto the world stage as one of the greatest leaders in the fight for racial justice and equality. This multimedia overview of his life and times prepares visitors to experience the exhibition in-depth.
Conversation Prompts
- What accounts for the durability of Mandela’s example throughout the world today?
- If you were a reporter for the classroom newsletter or other local publication, what questions would you ask Mandela if you could interview him?
- In your family or community, who would you call “Madiba” and why?
Resources
Introducing Mandela (1)
Introducing Mandela (2)
Gallery 2: The Early Years
Visitors learn about Mandela as a boy growing up in rural South Africa and the powerful influence on him of traditional Thembu tribal culture. The gallery expresses how the influential people and significant places that were part of his childhood shaped the man -- and the leader -- he would become.
Conversation Prompts
- Which of Mandela’s personal qualities, formed early in his life, developed to become his greatest strengths as a leader in the fight against apartheid?
- You’ve heard about some of the things that influenced Mandela while growing up. What would people include in a similar exhibit about you?
- What is one thing you found different or puzzling about how children were taught and raised in Mandela’s time?
Resources
What & Who Shaped Mandela
Clothing & Identity
Gallery 3: The Struggle is My Life
This interactive gallery leads visitors into the world of 1940s apartheid in Johannesburg, South Africa, where Mandela studied law and emerged as an activist in the African National Congress (ANC). Participatory media brings the apartheid resistance movement’s -- and Mandela’s -- struggle to life.
Conversation Prompts
- Why do you think the gallery is called “The Struggle Is My Life”?
- What did Mandela do to demonstrate the change he wanted to see in his society? What obstacles did he face due to apartheid that made it harder for him?
- Why did nonviolent protest and advocacy fail in South Africa, where in other times and places it had succeeded? Would it have eventually overturned the policies of racial segregation in South Africa?
Resources
Enquiry & Debate
Picturing the Past
Gallery 4: The Prison Years
Here, Mandela’s imprisonment on Robben Island for resistance to apartheid is realized through a range of immersive features. This gallery depicts the harsh conditions of his prison experience as well as the steady attempts to break his spirit. It illuminates the hard-won respect he earned from his jailers and his emergence as the identity of anti-apartheid activism, even from behind bars.
Conversation Prompts
- What was Mandela’s most powerful tool in withstanding the inhumane conditions of prison life, and how was he able to earn the respect of his jailers?
- Would he have had the same impact on progress in racial justice without his time in prison?
- What did Mandela’s family, friends, and supporters do to support him in prison? If you could write a letter to him in prison to help him survive, what would you say?
Resources
The Power of Words
How Did Mandela Fight Apartheid
Gallery 5: Freedom?
Mandela is freed after 27 years of incarceration, but the quest for a new, democratic South Africa is just beginning. Through authentic news footage and other media, this gallery leads visitors to the heart of the anti-apartheid movement of the 1990s as the country edges toward civil war.
Conversation Prompts
- Why is the title of this gallery accompanied by a question mark?
- When political violence is erupting on a national scale, how can any one person hope to make an impact and de-escalate tensions?
- How did Mandela translate the lessons he used in prison into action?
Resources
Gallery 6: Healing a Nation
This gallery highlights Mandela’s years as president and his mission to unite the country of South Africa. While working to reconcile disparate and conflicting ideologies within South African society, he recruits leaders and visionaries from the global arena to take up the cause. Visitors experience a close view of Mandela artifacts curated by his personal assistant.
Conversation Prompts
- Reviewing the many artifacts of Mandela’s post-imprisonment, what do they express about the man and his character?
- What do you think Mandela would say was his greatest challenge as president of South Africa?
- What do you think he would say the United States could learn from South Africa’s successful struggle for unity?
Resources
Gallery 7: The Meaning of Mandela
The exhibition closes with a powerful yet reflective view of Nelson Mandela and his legacy as one of the world’s most revered champions of freedom and equality. Visitors listen to Mandela’s narration of a short film inspiring them in his own words to follow a path of peace, unity, and forgiveness. A moving and resonant conclusion to the exhibition, it calls to the next generation to lead through justice, equality, and devotion to social and racial harmony.
Conversation Prompts
- Which qualities exhibited by other leaders and human rights activists on the world stage can be traced back to Mandela's example?
- This exhibit is built on the idea that Mandela was one of the greatest leaders of the 20th century. Do you agree or disagree, and how? Now that you’ve experienced his whole life, how would you define the idea of “greatness”?
- What is one quality or accomplishment of Mandela’s that you’ve learned about in the exhibit that you would like to change about the world you live in today?