The Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory has partnered with the Google Cultural Institute to launch what will arguably become the most extensive online archive of Nelson Mandela’s life. The free global access to photos, videos, letters and personal documents about his life and times will continue to expand as people across the world add their memorabilia to the archive.

Last year, Google gave $1,25 million to the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory to help digitise and preserve thousands of historical documents, photographs and videos documenting Nelson Mandela’s life.

The new Nelson Mandela Digital Archive is now live on the web.

Chief Executive of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Achmat Dangor:

At the heart of our strategy for Memory is to make the unique archives of the life and times of Mr Mandela available to the rest of the world.

The project is described as “a living archive” that will grow as people around the world contribute to the project.

Yesterday’s launch date was also significant because it marked the sixtieth anniversary of the day Nelson Mandela was admitted as an attorney.

He later went on to found South Africa’s first black law firm with Oliver Tambo – Mandela and Tambo – in Johannesburg.

The archive is extensive, and the website is easy to navigate..

The Centre selects what archives to display, as well as how they will feature on the website.

Head of Memory Programming at the Centre of Memory, Verne Harris, explained that the partnership, similar to the Dead Sea Scrolls project Google unveiled last year, was about preserving and promoting a legacy.

The Centre of Memory owns the content and individual contributors remain the owners of their copyright. Google does not own the material. The project is about public access and the preservation of heritage.

This digital initiative will make it possible for us to reach the full spectrum of our stakeholders, from the global elite to systemically disadvantaged South Africans.

Visitors can search and browse the archives to explore different parts of Mr Mandela’s life and work in depth: Early Life, Prison Years, Presidential Years, Retirement, Books for Mandela, Young People, and My Moments with a Legend.

If you think you may have something the Centre could use, you can get in touch HERE.

The archive currently houses more than 1900 entries.

You might want to make the Nelson Mandela Digital Archive one of your Bookmark’s in your internet browser.

[Sources: NMCM, NMCM]