Take a Journey through the Life of Nelson Mandela at the U.S. Debut of Mandela: The Official Exhibition

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A man stands in front of the Djingareyber mosque on February 4, 2016 in Timbuktu, central Mali.
Mali's fabled city of Timbuktu on February 4 celebrated the recovery of its historic mausoleums, destroyed during an Islamist takeover of northern Mali in 2012 and rebuilt thanks to UN cultural agency UNESCO.
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April 20, 2021

Presented by the Milwaukee Public Museum in partnership with America’s Black Holocaust Museum. April 23rd through August 1st, 2021

We are excited to announce our partnership with the Milwaukee Public Museum for the United States debut of Nelson Mandela: The Official Exhibition, a new, global-touring exhibition that takes visitors on a personal journey through the life of the world’s most iconic freedom-fighter and political leader. Designed to educate, entertain, and inspire, this immersive and interactive exhibition features previously unseen film, photos, and the display of more than 150 historical artifacts and personal effects on loan from the Mandela family, museums, and archives worldwide.

Through a series of immersive zones – each one a dramatically different experience – the narrative takes us on a journey through a remarkable life and provides fresh insight into the people, places, and events that formed his character and the challenges he faced.

Discover Nelson Mandela’s epic story of heroic struggle, forgiveness, and compassion explored in new, personal, and revealing ways.

Visitors will go back in time to the rural childhood home that shaped the great leader that he became. See the years of turbulent struggle against the apartheid regime and learn how his remarkable spirit remained unbroken, but at great personal cost. Relive the global celebration of his release after 27 years in prison, and his historic ascent as South Africa’s first democratically elected president.

With wisdom from the man himself plus exclusive insights from his family and those that knew him best, visitors will see Nelson Mandela in a new light. A century since his birth and seven years since his passing, what does “Nelson Mandela” mean today, in a world where inequality and injustice are still rife? Mandela: The Official Exhibition asks these difficult questions and examines his legacy. Nelson Mandela’s values and unshakable belief in a better world are as vital now as they were during his lifetime.

Comments Are Welcome

Note: We moderate submissions in order to create a space for meaningful dialogue, a space where museum visitors – adults and youth –– can exchange informed, thoughtful, and relevant comments that add value to our exhibits.

Racial slurs, personal attacks, obscenity, profanity, and SHOUTING do not meet the above standard. Such comments are posted in the exhibit Hateful Speech. Commercial promotions, impersonations, and incoherent comments likewise fail to meet our goals, so will not be posted. Submissions longer than 120 words will be shortened.

See our full Comments Policy here.