This year marks the centenary of Nelson Mandela’s birth and the twenty-fifth anniversary of diplomatic relations between Ireland and South Africa. To commemorate both occasions, the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade worked in partnership with the Apartheid Museum in South Africa and the Office of Public Works to bring From Prisoner to President: Nelson Mandela Centenary Exhibition to Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin.

The exhibition, which was opened on July 12 by President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, highlights the strength and breadth of Ireland’s relationship with South Africa, from Ireland’s support for the anti-apartheid movement, through to the vibrant and multifaceted partnership which exists between Ireland and South Africa today.

During his opening speech, the President noted the symbolism attached to holding “an exhibition celebrating the life of one of the greatest champions of human freedom, dignity and equality of the past century” in Kilmainham Goal.   

“This place of incarceration and execution for so many of those who fought for Irish freedom, is a symbol not only of defiance and courage but of profound sacrifice, made not for any small or partial version of nationalism but for a generous vision of an enlarged freedom capable of encompassing all those seeking liberty and self-determination.”

He concluded with the hope that the exhibition “will be an inspiration, and a summons to recover the idealism, courage, and forgiveness too, that Nelson Mandela evoked in himself and in others throughout his remarkable life.”

In order to bring Mandela’s remarkable story to a museum audience and to convey something of the epic quality of his life, the Apartheid Museum produced the exhibition “Mandela – Leader, Comrade, Negotiator, Prisoner, Statesman” in 2008 as part of the celebration of Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday. It opened at the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg and was later moved to its permanent location at the Nelson Mandela Museum in Mthatha, South Africa.  Variations of the exhibition have been travelling around the world ever since including to Argentina, Ecuador, France, Luxembourg, Peru, USA and now Ireland.

The exhibition explores Mandela’s extraordinary life through five themes – Leader, Comrade, Negotiator, Prisoner, and Statesman. In each theme, the narrative is presented through evocative large scale images and text, supported by films, photographs and displays of original artefacts. It will run until 12 January 2019 and will be accessible to the public free of charge. Advance ticket booking is recommended, and is available through the following link: http://kilmainhamgaol.admit-one.eu/