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The joyful sounds of the African Drum Interactive bushed done the Fresno State Peace Garden similar a chorus of exuberant heartbeats connected Sept. 12, kicking disconnected the unveiling ceremonial for the latest summation to the monument statues honoring peacemakers from astir the globe.
A life-sized bronze statue of anti-apartheid activist, erstwhile South African president and Nobel Peace Prize victor Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela stands conscionable eastbound of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. statue, facing the Fresno State Library from successful beforehand of the Professional Human Services building. This is the archetypal caller statue added to the plot successful astir 20 years.
“Nelson Mandela is simply a magnificent summation to our Peace Garden, arsenic helium believed successful the powerfulness that acquisition has to forge a socially conscious idiosyncratic who works for an equitable world,” said Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval. “With his halfway content successful the powerfulness of the individual, Mandela volition animate our students to scope caller levels of excellence, which successful crook volition enrich each of our divers communities and world.”
The statue plan was initially led by Colorado creator Ed Dwight, a subject combatant aviator with the U.S. Air Force and America’s archetypal Black astronaut candidate. When Dwight was incapable to continue with the project, Jose Lopez — a Fresno State postgraduate creation pupil — carried Dwight’s imaginativeness to completion with enactment from creation and plan prof Ed Gillum.
The statue features unthinkable details, from the intricate designs connected Mandela’s African-patterned garment to the laces connected his shoes. Mandela’s trademark wide grin lights up his look arsenic helium raises his close fist successful solidarity with his state men and women successful the conflict against oppression.
The Mandela statue joins those honoring Mahatma Gandhi (installed successful 1990), Cesar Chavez (1996), the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1999) and Jane Addams (2006).
Planning for this latest summation to the Peace Garden has been years successful the making. The Nelson Mandela Monument committee began gathering successful 2016.
Dr. Siyabulela Mandela, a quality rights scholar, delivered a keynote code titled “Reconciliation: Fostering Peace Through a Search for Common Grounds.” He talked astir the archetypal archetypal sanction that Nelson Mandela’s begetter gave him — Rolihlahla — its meaning and however that played retired successful Nelson Mandela’s legacy.
“Rolihlahla successful our connection means the troublemaker. I bash not cognize whether [his father] Chief Gadla had already envisioned the beingness that Mandela would unrecorded beyond the years that helium spent with him. I bash not cognize whether Chief Gadla understood the interaction that this sanction would person connected Mandela and the interaction that this sanction would person for South Africa, the relation that this sanction connected its ain would play successful the past of South Africa, successful the past of the African continent and successful the past of the satellite arsenic a whole.”
Jordyn Smith and Jourdan Williams sang an a capella mentation of the “Black National Anthem.” The young women’s voices roseate powerfully into the evening arsenic a assemblage of astir 250 gathered — students, employees, friends of the assemblage and assemblage members.
The Fresno State Chambers Singers, led by Dr. Cari Earnhart, performed respective philharmonic numbers — ”The Star Spangled Banner” and spirituals “We Shall Walk Through the Valley successful Peace” and “Wade successful the Water.”
During his keynote speech, Dr. Siyabulela Mandela referenced the lyrics from “Wade successful the Water,” tying it backmost to his connection astir the “trouble” Nelson Mandela caused successful his lifetime:
“As Dr. Cari and her squad beautifully passed the connection to us, they sang, ‘There’s thing successful the water. God volition travel and occupation the water.’ Perhaps it is present clip to occupation the water. Perhaps the beingness of the Mandela Monument, it is not lone a surviving grounds that there’s powerfulness successful our unity arsenic members of the quality race, but it is besides a surviving grounds and a reminder to accidental there’s powerfulness successful our agreed enactment arsenic members of the quality race.”
Dr. Veena Howard, a doctrine professor, seat of the Department of Philosophy and endowed seat successful Jain and Hindu Dharma and the manager of the M.K. Gandhi Center: Inner Peace and Sarvodaya, wrote an op-ed file for The Fresno Bee, explaining the value of the Mandela Monument astatine Fresno State. Howard organized the unveiling lawsuit and acted arsenic emcee.
“Mandela whitethorn person lived thousands of miles away, but his lessons connected information and reconciliation resonate globally and locally, present successful the Central Valley,” Howard wrote. “His lifelong committedness to justice, unity and healing transcends geographic boundaries, offering invaluable guidance for communities everywhere. Fresno State’s Peace Garden with the caller monument to Mandela offers almighty examples to our students and assemblage of however the way of absorption to injustice, reconciliation, unfastened connection and empathy tin assistance span divides and foster lasting change, close present astatine home.”
Dr. Sudarshan Kapoor, a prof emeritus astatine Fresno State who has spearheaded the readying of monuments successful the Peace Garden since it was established successful 1990, expressed his elation.
“It is simply a imagination travel existent to spot that Nelson Mandela is present enshrined successful the Peace Garden alongside different icons of peace, justice, nonviolence and quality rights,” Kapoor said.
As reddish drape was removed, revealing the monument, the ceremonial concluded with a blessing arsenic guests were invited to enactment garlands of achromatic flowers, symbolizing peace, astatine the basal of the monument.
The Nelson Mandela Monument unveiling was presented by the Fresno State Office of the President and the M.K. Gandhi Center: Inner Peace and Sarvodaya and supported by the Africana Studies Program.
