By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
Seattle’s Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI) recently hosted When Mandela Visited Seattle: An Evening to Remember and Reflect, a community event honoring Nelson Mandela’s historic 1999 visit to the city. The program brought together organizers, activists and students to reflect on Mandela’s enduring legacy and Seattle’s role in the global anti-apartheid movement, coinciding with MOHAI’s current exhibition, Mandela: The Official Exhibition.
“Many people helped bring Mandela to Seattle to visit, and the event was a specific evening to remember that, as we focused more on the people who helped bring Mandela here,” said Devorah Romanek, MOHAI’s chief of exhibits and interpretive services. “While we still have this exhibition on view, people can get deeper into the understanding of what the life of Nelson Mandela might have for people, specifically in this location, to understand Seattle’s role in the anti-apartheid movement.”
The anti-apartheid movement was a global campaign against the apartheid system in South Africa, advocating for the rights of nonwhite populations and ultimately leading to the end of racial segregation in the country. Despite being on the other side of the globe, Seattle played a significant role.
“Seattle protesting and helping get Nelson Mandela’s freedom and really sort of changing the larger movement against apartheid helped change all of South African society,” Romanek said. “Seattle was so active in the anti-apartheid movement, and so early on, much more than most major American cities. It’s hard to determine, but it could be that Seattle was the first city to truly join the anti-apartheid movement. So, for those reasons, we thought this was just a great story to tell here.”
For Romanek, the current moment in history makes the Mandela exhibit more relevant than ever, and she believes in the importance of preserving and sharing his life story.
“With the current sociopolitical moment, this ended up being a lot more relevant than we thought. The message that Nelson Mandela and his life story have taught was so inspirational, and in its character, it takes on so much of what Seattle is as a whole, because lots of people here have lots of different points of view,” Romanek said. “We are going to take this message of resilience, hope, activism and concern for democratic values and inclusion that are important to people here in Seattle and look at that through the lens of Nelson Mandela’s story.”
Mandela: The Official Exhibition explores the life of the world’s most famous freedom fighter and political leader. His journey is told in a series of experiential galleries, from his rural childhood home through years of turbulent struggle against apartheid, to his eventual vindication and final years as South Africa’s first democratically elected president.
According to Romanek, there are aspects of Mandela’s life and legacy that can only truly be experienced by visiting the exhibit. Featuring artifacts that span his entire life, the exhibit offers visitors a unique opportunity to glimpse a different time in history through Mandela’s eyes.
“In having these objects, images, film footage and narratives where you hear him speaking, it is an immersion into his life throughout time, understanding it to some degree. There are also some never-before-seen film footages from South Africa,” Romanek said. “Important firsthand stuff that really gave visitors a sense that, even with just a glimpse, but still a glimpse they might not otherwise have had in their lives, of what a hard time was like for Black South Africans.”
Romanek said the exhibit delivers an inspiring message to the community and highlights the powerful impact that activism in Seattle can have.
“It is an interesting message, and then also to be inspired by the life of someone who was against the odds but was still able to change the world is really important for the community,” Romanek said. “Here in Seattle, people have come together in active resistance and contributed to making local and global change. Even though the anti-apartheid movement was only a small portion of the exhibit where we contributed, I think that it is really interesting to take on board how impactful activism can be.”
“I think this preservation of stories, truth, and the verified presence of things at the time of current events, and with the witness to those events, is really important. This present moment we are in is so relevant,” Romanek continued. “I think some people would like to erase the story of Nelson Mandela. So, we are here helping people remember, not forget, and preserve his story.”
Mandela: The Official Exhibition will be on view at MOHAI from May 24 through Sept. 7.
