Today is Mandela Day. It is a worldwide event to celebrate the life of Nelson Mandela, a once-political prisoner in South Africa who went on to become the president of that nation and help it cast aside its system of racial oppression called apartheid. Mandela passed away in 2013 but today would have been his 100th birthday. Mandela lived a life devoted to improving the world, and to improving individual lives.
Last year, as part of a storytelling project that brought us to South Africa – Origins – UW–Madison photographer Jeff Miller and I visited the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, South Africa. We wanted to better understand apartheid, what led to its rise in the late 1940s, and to honor the actions of those who stood firmly against it. Apartheid was dismantled beginning in 1991 thanks to people like Nelson Mandela.
What follows is a visual journey of our experience. It was moving and profound and deeply influenced the stories that we shared.
Apartheid Museum 2017
A graphic celebrating July 18 as Nelson Mandela Day is displayed at the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, South Africa on July 22, 2017. The photograph is part of a series of stories highlighting the work of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers in South Africa as they explore the origins of the universe, the first evidence of life on Earth as preserved in the geological record and the evolution of humankind. (Photo by Jeff Miller / UW-Madison)
Randomly-distributed entrance tickets assign visitors the status of non-white or white as they enter the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, South Africa on July 22, 2017. The photograph is part of a series of stories highlighting the work of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers in South Africa as they explore the origins of the universe, the first evidence of life on Earth as preserved in the geological record and the evolution of humankind. (Photo by Jeff Miller / UW-Madison)
Randomly-distributed entrance tickets assign visitors the status of non-white or white as they enter the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, South Africa on July 22, 2017. The photograph is part of a series of stories highlighting the work of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers in South Africa as they explore the origins of the universe, the first evidence of life on Earth as preserved in the geological record and the evolution of humankind. (Photo by Jeff Miller / UW-Madison)
A graphic highlighting the life of Nelson Mandela is displayed at the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, South Africa on July 22, 2017. The photograph is part of a series of stories highlighting the work of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers in South Africa as they explore the origins of the universe, the first evidence of life on Earth as preserved in the geological record and the evolution of humankind. (Photo by Jeff Miller / UW-Madison)
Science writer Kelly Tyrrell signs a guest book while visiting the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, South Africa on July 22, 2017. The photograph is part of a series of stories highlighting the work of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers in South Africa as they explore the origins of the universe, the first evidence of life on Earth as preserved in the geological record and the evolution of humankind. (Photo by Jeff Miller / UW-Madison)
Translucent panels and artwork of people are pictured at the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, South Africa on July 22, 2017. The photograph is part of a series of stories highlighting the work of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers in South Africa as they explore the origins of the universe, the first evidence of life on Earth as preserved in the geological record and the evolution of humankind. (Photo by Jeff Miller / UW-Madison)
Translucent panels and artwork reflect an image of photographer Jeff Miller at the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, South Africa on July 22, 2017. The photograph is part of a series of stories highlighting the work of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers in South Africa as they explore the origins of the universe, the first evidence of life on Earth as preserved in the geological record and the evolution of humankind. (Photo by Jeff Miller / UW-Madison)
A statement, "Humanity was born in Africa. All people, ultimately, are African" is pictured at the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, South Africa on July 22, 2017. The photograph is part of a series of stories highlighting the work of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers in South Africa as they explore the origins of the universe, the first evidence of life on Earth as preserved in the geological record and the evolution of humankind. (Photo by Jeff Miller / UW-Madison)
A graphic highlighting the life of Nelson Mandela is displayed at the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, South Africa on July 22, 2017. The photograph is part of a series of stories highlighting the work of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers in South Africa as they explore the origins of the universe, the first evidence of life on Earth as preserved in the geological record and the evolution of humankind. (Photo by Jeff Miller / UW-Madison)
A guestbook comment made by science writer Kelly Tyrrell is pictured during a visit to the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, South Africa on July 22, 2017. The photograph is part of a series of stories highlighting the work of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers in South Africa as they explore the origins of the universe, the first evidence of life on Earth as preserved in the geological record and the evolution of humankind. (Photo by Jeff Miller / UW-Madison)
Science writer Kelly Tyrrell takes notes while visiting the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, South Africa on July 22, 2017. The photograph is part of a series of stories highlighting the work of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers in South Africa as they explore the origins of the universe, the first evidence of life on Earth as preserved in the geological record and the evolution of humankind. (Photo by Jeff Miller / UW-Madison)
Historical signs of segregation are pictured at the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, South Africa on July 22, 2017. The photograph is part of a series of stories highlighting the work of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers in South Africa as they explore the origins of the universe, the first evidence of life on Earth as preserved in the geological record and the evolution of humankind. (Photo by Jeff Miller / UW-Madison)
A graphic highlighting the life of Nelson Mandela is displayed at the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, South Africa on July 22, 2017. The photograph is part of a series of stories highlighting the work of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers in South Africa as they explore the origins of the universe, the first evidence of life on Earth as preserved in the geological record and the evolution of humankind. (Photo by Jeff Miller / UW-Madison)
A list of legal acts and room of hanging nooses are pictured at the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, South Africa on July 22, 2017. The photograph is part of a series of stories highlighting the work of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers in South Africa as they explore the origins of the universe, the first evidence of life on Earth as preserved in the geological record and the evolution of humankind. (Photo by Jeff Miller / UW-Madison)
Commonly seen in South African townships during Apartheid protests in the 1980s, an armored-security vehicle is pictured at the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, South Africa on July 22, 2017. The photograph is part of a series of stories highlighting the work of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers in South Africa as they explore the origins of the universe, the first evidence of life on Earth as preserved in the geological record and the evolution of humankind. (Photo by Jeff Miller / UW-Madison)
A row of solitary confinement, prison cells are displayed at the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, South Africa on July 22, 2017. The photograph is part of a series of stories highlighting the work of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers in South Africa as they explore the origins of the universe, the first evidence of life on Earth as preserved in the geological record and the evolution of humankind. (Photo by Jeff Miller / UW-Madison)
Visitors walk amid the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, South Africa on July 22, 2017. The photograph is part of a series of stories highlighting the work of University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers in South Africa as they explore the origins of the universe, the first evidence of life on Earth as preserved in the geological record and the evolution of humankind. (Photo by Jeff Miller / UW-Madison)
Read more about our trip to South Africa here, here and here.