Original article and more images available at the National Museums Liverpool website here.
Nelson Mandela’s importance to Liverpool is huge. In Toxteth, Liverpool 8, Mandela remains a highly significant role model to the community. In the 1980s Liverpool 8 was tireless in its support of the anti-apartheid struggle through demos, product boycotts, park runs and the Free Nelson Mandela Campaign.
Apartheid (apartness) was a brutal system of racial segregation and white supremacy in South Africa. The world-wide anti-apartheid movement grew throughout the ’60s ’70s and ’80s in its support for Black South Africans and other minority groups living under this oppressive system. This support was inspired by figures like Nelson Mandela, whose eventual rise from political prisoner to the first Black President of South Africa, turned him into a global icon for freedom and equality.
Through this display, which will open when the Museum of Liverpool re-opens, you can discover some of the strong connections between the city’s Black community, Nelson Mandela and the anti-apartheid movement.
This display is part of the Museum of Liverpool’s Our City, Our Stories programme, a partnership programme which enables local people to represent their own interpretation of the museum’s themes and objects. This display was created in partnership with the Mandela8 group.
04/07/2024
News Story
Liverpool Encouraged To Take Part In ‘Acts Of Kindness’ To Celebrate Mandela Day This July
15/03/2024
News Story
A new mural of a community champion and photographer has appeared in Liverpool
13/11/2023
News Story
Mandela8 Announce Newest Trustee Following Completion Of Memorial In Liverpool
07/11/2021
News Story
Collective of Black Organisations and Allies in Support of Mayor Joanne Anderson
08/07/2021
News Story
Region’s Residents And Businesses Urged To Carry Out ‘Acts Of Kindness’ For Mandela Day
01/10/2020
News Story
LFC and England international, Trent Alexander-Arnold becomes Patron of Mandela8
14/07/2020
News Story
First elected African-Caribbean female Government Minister becomes Mandela8 PatronMandela8 are delighted to have been awarded £95k from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to establish and deliver a major oral history programme ensuring the history and stories of community activists in Toxteth and their first-hand memories of anti-apartheid struggles are told.
The project will record the memories of Princes Park, collect photos and memorabilia and deliver a range of engagement activities with people of all ages to ensure we have a long lasting digital educational resource for many years to come.
The project will create employment opportunities and develop 15 heritage research volunteers with support and training from National Museums Liverpool. 15 young people will also be provided with digital skills training to support recording of heritage stories.
Sonia Bassey, MBE Mandela8 Chair said: “We are excited to get started with this project that will leave a lasting legacy for our community so they continue to know the valuable contribution activists in communities made to society and social justice long after we are gone”.
“We are delighted with the additional funding secured for the engagement programme for the Nelson Mandela memorial. It will be a truly inclusive centrepiece of the park, ensuring his legacy, values and ideals are formally marked, promoting social and racial understanding, tolerance and tackling issues around cultural diversity.”
David Renwick, Director of England, North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Communities are at the heart of the projects we invest in, and we are proud to be supporting Mandela8 in their project to remember and record important stories of anti-apartheid struggles. The project not only ensures that these memories will be safeguarded, but also share them with the next generation of the community.”
Heather Ring, Director, Wayward said: “Wayward is deeply honoured to be selected to design the Nelson Mandela Memorial, Liverpool. This important remembrance is for future generations to discover how the men and women in the great City of Liverpool stood with Nelson Mandela throughout his struggle to end apartheid and heal a fractured nation. The design of the memorial reflects upon the gardens Mandela tended to while incarcerated, notably in oil drums at Pollsmoor Prison, which stood as symbols of resistance, tools for resilience, spaces for reflection and platforms for community.”
04/07/2024
News Story
Liverpool Encouraged To Take Part In ‘Acts Of Kindness’ To Celebrate Mandela Day This July 15/03/2024
News Story
A new mural of a community champion and photographer has appeared in Liverpool 13/11/2023
News Story
Mandela8 Announce Newest Trustee Following Completion Of Memorial In Liverpool 07/11/2021
News Story
Collective of Black Organisations and Allies in Support of Mayor Joanne Anderson 08/07/2021
News Story
Region’s Residents And Businesses Urged To Carry Out ‘Acts Of Kindness’ For Mandela Day 01/10/2020
News Story
LFC and England international, Trent Alexander-Arnold becomes Patron of Mandela8 14/07/2020
News Story
First elected African-Caribbean female Government Minister becomes Mandela8 Patron
