Mandela/Luthuli ‘Leadership’ exhibit at Vryheid museum for a limited time only

WITH the country celebrating Nelson Mandela’s centenary, Vryheid was not left out of the historic celebrations.

A display section consisting of conversations between the late Nelson Mandela and Albert Luthuli can currently be viewed at Vryheid’s Lucas Meijer Huis museum.

“We were able to obtain the display and exhibition from the Northern Cape and it was set to be here from April until September. Vryheid was very fortunate in that we were the first town chosen to exhibit the display,” said Mxolisi Mdluli, who is the curator at Vryheid’s museum.

The display takes up at least a room in the museum showing the most significant parts of Mandela’s life including his Nobel Peace Price speech as well as the famous photo of him burning his passbook.

Having always been passionate about educating people about history, Mxolisi said that it has been a great honour to have the display at the museum as it adds something different.

According to Luthuli Museum officials the main objective of the joint exhibition between Chief Albert Luthuli and Rolihlahla Nelson Mandela was to highlight the links between the two leaders under the theme: Leadership.

This is the same way that the two are potrayed at Vryheid’s museum.

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Mxolisi encourages Vryheiders to take advantage of this opportunity and visit the local museum to see what this display is about and to also have a look at some of the few tweaks that have been made to the museum.

“I would really like to encourage locals, especially schools to visit us, it is absolutely free and will be worth your while,” he said.

There are many great plans to transform the museum and enrich it with other details such as involving more information about indigenous clans surrounding AbaQulusi.

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Mxolisi said that they are also hoping to become more digitally savvy as a means to move on with the times.

Vryheiders who would like to learn more about Vryheid’s history, or just want to see for themselves what exactly the Nelson Mandela and Albert Luthuli display is about are encouraged to visit the museum during weekdays from 8am to 4pm.