Making Peace Exhibition
About Making Peace
Forty years ago Chief Albert Luthuli, South Africa’s first Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was killed by a train in suspicious circumstances while walking near his home in KwaZulu-Natal.
He left a legacy of international recognition of the struggle against apartheid and a younger generation of activists and freedom fighters who had already picked up his fallen spear.
Chief amongst them was the young Mr Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, whose role in the ANC’s new path of armed struggle earned him life imprisonment.
He, too, went on to receive the Nobel Peace Prize and international acclaim for his sacrifices for democracy.
It is in recognition of the roles played by both men, their colleagues and comrades in achieving our freedom, that we salute their lifelong work in this exhibition, Making Peace.
Drawing the parallels between the lives of these two great men, Making Peace uses photographs, first person commentary, poetry, and narrative to connect the legacies of Chief Luthuli and Mr Mandela. As visitors enter the space, they are greeted by two banners with the images of both men and their words about one another.
Moving into the exhibition, the legacies of Chief Luthuli and Mr Mandela interact and dialogue through five key themes: incarceration, speaking to power, modernisers, international legitimacy, and armed struggle. Each theme is presented on large triangular pillars, visually representing the height of achievement of both freedom fighters, and through large streaming banners.
The highlight of Making Peace is the joint presentation of the two Nobel Peace Prize medals, symbolising both the sacrifices and achievements of both Chief Luthuli and Mr Mandela in their fight for freedom and democracy.
The exhibition was launched on 19 July 2007 with Mr Mandela, President Bill Clinton, and members of the Luthuli family in attendance.
The Spirit of Chief Albert Luthuli
As an adjunct to the exhibition Making Peace, from 19 July 2007 the Nelson Mandela Foundation will be exhibiting artist Ronald Harrison’s series of paintings titled The Spirit of Chief Albert Luthuli. A replica of the painting which made Harrison famous, The Black Christ, will also be on display.
The oil painting The Black Christ caused an immediate stir when it was unveiled in Cape Town during 1962. The young artist had chosen Chief Albert Luthuli as a model for the face of Christ on the cross. Two Roman centurions beneath the cross were modelled on Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd and Cabinet Minister John Vorster.
The apartheid regime was outraged by the painting, and banned it from public display. Harrison visited Chief Luthuli, who gave the young man encouragement. The painting was smuggled out of South Africa and displayed in many countries in support of anti-apartheid work. It was later used to raise funds for the Rivonia trialists.
Harrison paid a heavy price for his bold act of defiance, and his refusal to reveal who had assisted him to smuggle the painting out of the country. He was detained by the Security Police and severely tortured. And for years afterwards he was harassed by the state.
The Spirit of Chief Albert Luthuli is a series of eight oil paintings in honour of the Chief. They express Harrison’s belief that the values which the Chief exemplified are as important for South Africa in the 21st Century as they were in the 1950s and 1960s.
News
Albert Luthuli remembered at exhibition opening
JULY 19 2007 – Making Peace, an exhibition celebrating the legacies of Chief Albert Luthuli and Mr Nelson Mandela, opened today at the Nelson Mandela Foundation. The opening was attended by Mr Mandela, President Bill Clinton, and an invited audience of about 180 dignitaries and media.
