Nelson Mandela in 2009. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
Beginning today, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art will display a condolence book for the family of Nelson Mandela open for the public to sign.
Through December 13, visitors may “express heartfelt condolences” on the passing of Nelson Mandela—human rights leader, activist, and former President of South Africa. After that date, the book will be sent to the Mandela family. Johnnetta Betsch Cole, the director of the National Museum of African Art, issued the following statement on Mandela’s passing:
I am profoundly saddened by the passing of former President Nelson Mandela, a beloved and powerful citizen of South Africa and the world who worked throughout his life for peace, justice and equality.
There are no words that can adequately capture the extraordinary impact of his life and work. The revered place President Mandela holds in the hearts of South Africans, the people on the continent of Africa and all those the world over who believe in freedom is evident in the outpouring of grief at his passing.
During this intensely sad and difficult time, may the Mandela family and the people of South Africa find some consolation in knowing that countless women, men, girls and boys around our world share in their sense of loss.
While our hearts are broken over the physical loss of President Mandela, let us never lose sight of his incomparable legacy. President Mandela was a mighty force against apartheid, and yet when he was released from 27 years of imprisonment under that cruel and unjust system, he was a champion of reconciliation in the interest of building a free and democratic South Africa.
We are grateful for Madiba’s legacy, which will remain undimmed by the passing years. He has shown us that justice may be delayed but can never ultimately be denied. Those of us who have been privileged to live during this time when President Mandela became one of the greatest leaders of all times must recommit ourselves to the principles that guided his life and his work.
As we mourn President Mandela’s passing, let us take some comfort in the truth in a saying that is heard all over the African continent: As long as a person’s name is called, that person will never die. The world will never cease to call the name of Nelson Mandela.
On behalf of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art advisory board and staff, I extend our deepest sympathy to the Mandela family and the people of South Africa.
Visitors can sign the condolence book during the museum’s regular hours, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. And if you can’t make it to the museum, you can still post your condolences on the museum’s web site or Facebook page.
