A free festival will be held later this month in Princes Park to celebrate the visit of Nelson Mandela’s family to Liverpool.
It will take place on Saturday, July 23 from 12.30pm until 5.30pm and comes as a new memorial in the park to the South African revolutionary leader nears completion. The event is part of a week-long celebration being organised by Toxteth-based charity Mandela8 which commissioned the official memorial.
On the previous evening there will also be a black tie gala dinner at the Hilton Hotel to support fundraising efforts. The musical offering is curated by the Africa Oyé organisation and promises “live performances from the best of South Africa and Liverpool talent” with headline slots from BCUC and Nkulee Dube.
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The festival will also feature a range of traders selling food, drinks, arts and crafts, as well as free family workshops from the likes of Movema, LFC’s Open Goals Project, Katumba, LUSH, North West Cancer Research and Scouse Flowerhouse. The former President’s eldest daughter Dr Makaziwe ‘Maki’ Mandela and his granddaughter Tukwini Mandela, are travelling to the city to make their mark on artwork which will form part of the city’s permanent Nelson Mandela memorial in Princes Park.
The completed memorial will include a ‘Freedom Bridge’, a pavilion and 32 cylindrical stone-works inscribed with inspirational Mandela quotes. These pedestals represent the oil drums used to grow an allotment on the rooftop of Pollsmoor Prison where Mandela was held for part of his prison sentence.
During their six-day trip, the family will visit Crosby Memorials to personally inscribe one of the stone drums. The day before the Mandela’s arrival, Liverpool will officially mark Mandela Day on July 18 and hundreds of school children will parade down Princes Avenue into Princes Park.
Sonia Bassey, Mandela8 chair said: "We wanted to conclude the visit of Nelson Mandela's family to Liverpool with something really special and this festival is set to be just that. We're delighted with the line-up Africa Oyé have put together and can't wait to see everyone celebrating in Princes Park."
Dr Maki and Tukwini Mandela said: “We hold a special place in our hearts for Liverpool and its people, and we are really excited to return to see the memorial being made and be involved in a range of special events to celebrate our father and grandfather’s legacy.
“It is really important that now, more than ever, hope and aspiration is a key part of the legacy we continue to fulfil. We want to share that message with Liverpool when we visit.”
Joanne Anderson, Mayor of Liverpool, said: “The city council has been working closely with Mandela8 for a number of years and it will be wonderful to see work on elements of the memorial take shape in what will be a lasting tribute to Nelson Mandela’s unforgettable humanitarian achievements.”
Liverpool City Council made Nelson Mandela a freeman of the city in 1994.
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