Mandela to greet travellers at Cape Town airport
Travellers passing through Cape Town International Airport will soon be greeted by a giant tapestry of Nelson Mandela‚ Amnesty International said on Friday. The organisation‚ through its Art for Amnesty project‚ has commissioned artist Peter Sis to design the memorial tapestry for unveiling on December 10 to coincide with International Human Rights Day.Measuring 6m by 3m and woven by Atelier Pinton in Aubusson‚ France‚ the tapestry titled Flying Madiba will be displayed in the 'meeters and greeters' area of the international arrivals hall of the airport.Endorsed by the Nelson Mandela Foundation‚ the tapestry project is a partnership between Art for Amnesty and the Cape Town International Airport. The project is backed and funded by Bono and Edge of U2‚ John Legend‚ Peter Gabriel‚ Sting and Yoko Ono.“We hope that this magnificent tapestry will provide a constant reminder to the millions of passengers passing beneath it of the enduring human rights legacy of Nelson Mandela‚ not only for South Africa but for the world‚” said Art for Amnesty founder Bill Shipsey. “Madiba was and still is an inspiration to us all. His example teaches us that we all need to take injustice personally.” Mandela received Amnesty International's most prestigious award‚ the Ambassador of Conscience Award‚ in 2006.Peter Gabriel‚ musician‚ human rights campaigner‚ and recipient of the 2008 Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award said: "Under apartheid‚ Mandela had seen his people’s extraordinary suffering. They were denied basic rights‚ often brutally beaten‚ unjustly imprisoned and murdered. Yet after 27 years in jail‚ he was willing to trust the humanity and idealism of his oppressors‚ without whom‚ he knew he could not achieve a peaceful transition of power and the realisation of the Rainbow Nation that was his dream. There is no other example of such inspirational leadership in my lifetime.”US singer John Legend regarded Madiba was an enduring inspiration to him and many others‚ “ a shining beacon of revolution‚ righteousness and reconciliation".Yoko Ono said Mandela was the greatest world leader of his time and his memory should be honoured now more than ever...
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