Nelson Mandela in 2009. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Yesterday, we lost a great one: Nelson Mandela. While the world mourns the death of the former South African President and human rights leader and activist, Mayor Vince Gray and South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool gathered at the South African Embassy this afternoon to announce a week of mourning in D.C. to pay tribute to Mandela.

D.C. has a rich history with Mandela: He visited the city often in the early ’90s after he was released from prison; and the many Apartheid protests held outside the South African Embassy would later be remembered as legendary moments in D.C. Beginning tonight, D.C. will mourn Mandela with a series of events that extend until next Thursday.

From now until Thursday, Rasool announced that the embassy will host candlelight vigils every night at 7 p.m. Gray announced there’ll be a condolence book open to the public in the Wilson Building’s foyer beginning on Monday. It’ll later be delivered to the South African people. “We stand in solidarity with the Mandela family and the people of South Africa,” Gray said. This week of mourning also “gives us a chance to reflect on what enormous accomplishments he achieved as president of South Africa,” he added.

(The Smithsonian also has a condolence book open to the public at their Museum of African Art that will be available to sign until Thursday.)

The mourning of Mandela will culminate on Wednesday, December 11 at the Washington National Cathedral, where a memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Plans are still being finalized as the exact details of the memorial service. We’ll update when we have official information.

“I don’t know if you can get the entire country into the Cathedral,” Gray joked, “but we’re going to find a way to make sure Mandela’s memory is not lost in this city.”