On October 9th, the Meridian Arts Centre opened a new exhibition called “Mandela: Struggle to Freedom” in partnership with the Canadian Human Rights Museum and the Apartheid Museum in South Africa, and curated by Karen Carter.
The first floor of the exhibition begins with a portrayal of what apartheid looked like. The room is dark and it features signage posted at washrooms and benches designating which racial group had access to the space. As you walk through the first room, you learn about forced segregation and the expulsion of black South Africans from various cities throughout the country, which were immediately re-populated by white South Africans. The carnage that often occurred as a result of these forced expulsions are vividly described and displayed.
It is towards the end of the first room that you are introduced to Nelson Mandela. The exhibition features his first television interview, conducted at 2:00am in a secret location. In the video, he answers questions about the importance of enfranchisement for all people and political independence for black South Africans. He also discussed the human toll of sustaining apartheid. He further talked about a national strike that he called, which ended prematurely due to the army murdering black South Africans in response. Apartheid was a fight, one that defenceless people constantly paid with their lives.
Continuing on the first floor, there are videos and pictures of Mandela arriving at his trial wearing traditional Xosha clothing, replicas of his prison uniform and cell at Robben Island, as well as some of his handwritten notes from before, during and after his imprisonment. You learn about the awful conditions of his hard labour and his fight for prison reforms. While walking through this room, you hear his voice, talking about the hardships of his imprisonment and see shadows on the wall portraying his likeness.
The exhibition ends on its second floor, which contrasts dramatically from the first. The walls are painted bright yellow, as opposed to the black walls of the floor below. There are harmonious sounds from South African choirs, and videos of people celebrating the end of apartheid. The final video of the exhibition is the most famous: Nelson Mandela walking hand-in-hand with Winnie Mandela following his release from prison after 27 years.
The exhibition conveys Nelson Mandela and South Africa’s story in a very impactful and moving way. The photos, videos, and the sounds are all meant to create an immersive experience, placing you in each moment. So, when it ends with the video that captures one of the most significant moments of the 20th century, the goal is that you feel the emotion and the weight of that moment and for me, it certainly did. Mandela: Struggle for Freedom will be at the Meridian Arts Centre until January 5th, 2020.