On Sept. 12, the Fresno State Peace Garden will host the unveiling of the new Nelson Mandela statue from 5-6:15 p.m. The statue will be a new monument for one of the greatest symbols of peace and freedom.
Mandela’s great-grandson Siyabulela Mandela will be the guest speaker and representative for the events. He will be speaking to students on Sept. 11 in Speech Arts Room 172 at 3:30 p.m.
He will also be speaking to ASI President Faith Van Hoven on Sept. 13 in the Peters Education building Room 191 at 2 p.m.
Siyabulela is currently a visiting scholar for International Relationships and Politics at the University of Kurdistan Hewler. He is also affiliated with the Centre for Security, Peace and Conflict Resolution at Nelson Mandela University.
He has dedicated a lot of his life to human rights advocacy and bringing peace in a similar way to his late great-grandfather, Mandela.
Mandela was a Nobel Peace Prize winner, the first Black president in South Africa and spent most of his life fighting for peace and equality.
He grew up in South Africa and became a member of the African National Congress (ANC). He held multiple positions in the ANC and used his position to battle against the apartheid, a policy that segregated the non-white population from the white population.
At first, Mandela was organizing non-violent protests. This would eventually turn to sabotaging the South African government due to the failed attempts at non-violence.
Mandela was charged with sabotage, violent conspiracy and treason. This would land him a life sentence in a maximum security prison.
After gaining international support, Mandela was released from prison 27 years after he was sentenced. Shortly after his release, he became president of the ANC and then ran for presidency.
In 1994, Mandela became the first Black president of South Africa and began introducing new policies for equality, education and housing.
Following his presidency, Mandela became an international advocate for freedom, peace and activism.
The peace garden is honoring Mandela’s memory by placing him next to the statues of other advocates of peace. Those include: Mahatma Gandhi, Caesar Chavez, Jane Addams and Martin Luther King Jr.
Gandhi was a freedom activist. He had a non-violent approach to ending the suppressive British control in India. He went on hunger strikes and organized peaceful protests. In 1990, he was the first statue put in the garden.
A statue of Chavez was put up next. He was a founder of the United Farm Workers of America. Chavez led non-violent strikes and protests in order to increase the working conditions and wages of American farm workers. His statue was added to the garden in 1996.
The third statue revealed was of King. He led the civil rights movement in America and fought peacefully for desegregation and equal rights for the African-American community. His statue was built in 1998.
Jane Addams was the most recent addition to the peace garden. She was a Nobel Peace Prize winner, helped establish the Hull-House system in Chicago and was the first president of the women’s international league. Her statue was made in 2006.
The peace garden statues began because of the work of Sudarshan Kapoor, a former professor of social work and peace and conflict studies at Fresno State.
Kapoor, who is now retired, was the one that pushed for these monuments to be made. He cared deeply about peace and nonviolence.
This garden embodies what he believes in and shows examples of people who spent their lives fighting for peace and equality.
Mandela’s addition will bolster the roster of famous peacekeepers and activists while his memory lives on at the Fresno State Peace Garden.
