The Nelson Mandela Memorial will officially open in Princes Park next month

In celebration of Nelson Mandela International Day on July 18th, the Mandela Family will return to Liverpool for a program of special events, including the official opening of Nelson Mandela Memorial in Princes Park.

The events taking place will explore how the city’s business community can become more diverse, and how the qualities that Nelson Mandela exemplified can be part of the city’s business culture. The events, marking the tenth anniversary of the death of the visionary leader, will also explore business partnerships between Liverpool and South Africa.

The scheduled events taking place next month include the official opening of the memorial, an audience with the Mandela Family at Liverpool Everyman Theatre, and a dinner with North West civic and business leaders at Hope Street Hotel.

Liverpool BID Company will also be supporting businesses to take up the ‘Mandela Day’ campaign, as championed by the Mandela family. Nelson Mandela spent 67 years of his life fighting for social justice and human rights, and on Mandela Day it is encouraged to do an act of kindness for someone else in your community.

The permanent memorial in L8 includes a ‘Freedom Bridge’, a pavilion to be used as an outdoor classroom, and 32 cylindrical stone-works inscribed with inspirational quotes from Mandela himself. These works represent the oil drums Mandela used to grow an allotment on the rooftop of Pollsmoor Prison where Mandela was held during his prison sentence.

The works reflect Nelson Mandela’s love of gardens and horticulture along with his struggle for freedom, equality and humanity. The spaces will be used for future activity in the park, acting as a focal point and an area to visit, reflect and educate.

Nelson Mandela International Day – held annually on Nelson Mandela’s birthday, July 18th – shines a light on the legacy of a man who changed the 20th century and helped to shape the 21st. The day is used as a moment to renew the values that inspired Nelson Mandela, and to examine how his values should inspire us to take action.

Dr Makaziwe Mandela said:

“The Mandela8 Memorial to my Father Nelson Mandela is a moving and truly inspirational tribute to the sacrifices he and his comrades made to rid South Africa of the violent apartheid system. Being involved in this journey, seeing the stones made and installed has been a very emotional experience for myself and my daughter Tukwini. To think that all the way in Liverpool, what my dad stood for in life still resonates with a lot of people today, emphasises that rarely is social and political transformation an individual effort; often it is a result of an accumulation of forces. We are looking forward to officially opening the memorial.”

Sonia Bassey MBE, Mandela8 Chair said:

“We are delighted to be with Dr Maki and Tukwini again when they officially open the memorial. It will be a significant and emotional moment to see the memorial open and being used as an outdoor classroom to educate people and continue to seek harmony, love and peace in the world, based on Nelson Mandela’s values that are still relevant today. We want people from all over the world to visit the memorial and for its educational properties to be realised by people of all ages across Liverpool and beyond. We are truly grateful to all our partners.”

Find out more about the Nelson Mandela Memorial on the Mandela8 website here.