The Michigan State University Museum remembers Nelson Mandela with a special program led by Cajetan "CJ" Iheka, doctoral student in the Department of English and 2013 Nelson Mandela Museum/MSU Museum Graduate Curatorial Fellow at the Nelson Mandela Museum in Eastern Cape, South Africa.
The program runs from 5 to 6 p.m. Dec. 9 at the MSU Museum.
CJ Iheka spent the summer working at the Nelson Mandela Museum in Qunu, South Africa, Nelson Mandela's birthplace, while the world watched as the human rights legend's health began to deteriorate.
The mix of emotions - nervousness and fear, reverence and hope - made for an indelible experience and a powerful fellowship for those gathering to pay tribute to Mandela's legacy.
And the imperative felt by so many: how can we carry Nelson Mandela's ideals forward in a way that honor him and inspire us as we work toward justice and equality for all.
CJ will recount this dramatic time in South Africa, as well as invite others to draw on their own experiences in the new South Africa, transformed by Nelson Mandela's courage, determination and humanity.
The MSU Museum has had a partnership with the Nelson Mandela Museum in Qunu, South Africa, for a number of years. The Nelson Mandela Museum/Michigan State University Museum Graduate Curatorial Fellowship supports a graduate student in community-engaged research, education, collection management, and exhibition projects.
Nelson Mandela received an honorary degree from MSU in May 2008, just ahead of a special MSU Museum-produced exhibition that opened at the Mandela Museum July 18, on his 90th birthday, "Dear Mr. Mandela, Dear Mrs. Parks: Children's Letters, Global Lessons."