Thirty-four years ago this week, Glasgow won worldwide acclaim by renaming St George’s Place as Nelson Mandela Place. With help from you, it can soon be the site of a long overdue statue of Mr Mandela.
The renaming in 1986 was all the more significant because the street was the home of the Glasgow South African Consulate. Mr Mandela never forgot the gesture as he told the 15,000 crowd in Glasgow when he visited the city in 1993. (click here for a video of Billy Connolly’s take on the event)
Years of action by Scottish anti-apartheid campaigners had already cluminated in Glasgow being the first city in the world to give its ‘freedom’ to Nelson Mandela in 1981. It kick-started 2,500 mayors from 56 different countries eventually signing a declaration to the UN demanding his release.
As well as fundraising for the statue, a key element of our project is a long-term initiative to ensure that the lessons of the struggle against apartheid remain in the minds of future generations so that Mandela’s life, sacrifice and values can be as inspirational to them as it was for earlier generations (see more here).
You can help make this a reality by donating here.