The Henry Ford Announces Mandela: The Official Exhibition In Henry Ford Museum Of American Innovation
The Henry Ford Announces Mandela: The Official Exhibition In Henry Ford Museum Of American Innovation. Mandela: The Official Exhibition, produced by Round Room Live in partnership with The Royal House of Mandela (RHoM) and RHoM Investments, is the major 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. The Henry Ford is thrilled to welcome the exhibition to Michigan from October 21, 2023 to January 15, 2024.
An immersive and interactive experience, the exhibition features previously unseen footage, photos and the display of more than 150 historical artifacts and personal effects on loan from the Mandela family, museums and archives worldwide. Mandela: The Official Exhibition is designed to educate, entertain and inspire using many personal belongings and objects never previously seen outside of South Africa.
These items, including the suit worn for the opening of the South African parliament in 1996; a traditional head dress gifted to him by The King of Xhosa people, King Xolilzwe Sigcawu as he awarded Mandela the ancient tribal warrior honor of the Isithwalandwe Sesizwe, for the first time in two centuries; his presidential desk and chair and his much loved iconic beige trench coat, combine with immersive media presentations and scenic re-creations, to enable visitors to actively engage with and experience key moments in Nelson Mandela’s life.
Through a series of immersive zones – each one a dramatically different experience – the narrative of the exhibit in an incredible journey through a remarkable life. Visitors will learn about Mandela’s beginnings in the rural Transkei, steeped in Xhosa tradition and experience the turbulent struggle against apartheid – and why it had to be defeated. Patrons can celebrate his liberation and his historic term as South Africa’s first black president, ‘Father of South Africa’, and a globally loved and respected figure. The exhibition also reflects on his passing after a lifetime of service to others, his legacy and the impact of his values and commitment.
