Pretoria – Freedom Park Chief Executive Officer Fana Jiyane today announced that as from tomorrow, members of the public will be offered a platform to show their support to the ailing former President Nelson Mandela.
Visitors and the public at large are invited to join in prayer, leave flowers, light a candle, celebrate the legacy of Mandela in song, poetry or other means, and offer messages of support in a special message book dedicated to the ailing statesman.
Entrance to the park will be free for the remainder of the month of July, which has been dubbed Mandela Month.
Daily prayer services will be held at midday for the rest of July, which will be facilitated by faith leaders from different denominations and faith groups.
Jiyane said the nation shared the pain that Mandela’s family was going through because of the state of his health, and there was a need for spaces of healing to be created to allow for the outpouring of emotions for those who want to show support to Madiba.
The park and its facilities were created as spaces not just for the memory of those, such as Mandela, who contributed to the country’s freedom, but also as a spiritual place of healing for the wounds of the past.
Jiyane said the park offered a dignified outdoor space for spiritual and interfaith prayers for Mandela. The Sanctuary, overlooking the outdoor amphitheatre and the eternal flame, was a serene environment conducive to this, Jiyane added.
He said the //hapo Interpretive Centre at Freedom Park, officially opened by Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe in April this year, was a fulfilment of Mandela’s dream and a fitting tribute to his legacy.
In a 1999 speech at Umthatha, Mandela said: “…the day should not be far off, when we shall have a people’s shrine, a Freedom Park, where we shall honour with all the dignity they deserve, those who endured pain so we should experience the joy of freedom.”
Jiyane said Mandela Month ought to be used “not only to pray for strength and God’s presence for Madiba and his family, but to create awareness of his great legacy and gift for the world.
“Tata Mandela is the Chief Patron of Freedom Park, a national and international icon of humanity and freedom, a hero of the struggle against apartheid and colonialism, and the father of reconciliation in our land.”
As part of the activities for Mandela Month, the park will also conduct exhibitions, seminars and lectures highlighting Mandela’s contribution and his values. – SAnews.gov.za
