Programme Director
Members of the Nelson Mandela Museum Council that we are inaugurating today
Traditional Leadership
Acting Director-General of the Department of Arts and Culture, Ms Veliswa Baduza
CEO of the Nelson Mandela Museum, Mr Khwezi Mpumlwana
Management of the Nelson Mandela Museum
Honoured guests
Ladies and gentlemen
Let me take this opportunity to congratulate all the members of the new council on your appointment to the Nelson Mandela Museum Council.
I also thank members of the outgoing council for the work they have done during their tenure.
Our gratitude also goes to all those who have made it possible for us to have this new council.
Programme Director, the Nelson Mandela Museum is more than a place.
It is an experience that allows visitors to follow the footprints of a man whose long walk to freedom began in the foothills that rise from the banks of the Mbhashe River.
His journey took him back to the village of Qunu where he put down his roots and grew tall and strong.
As a young man, uTat'u Mandela listened to and learned from his elders, moved by their stories of battles for their land.
It is for this reason that the Nelson Mandela Museum will continue to be an educational institution, allowing all of humanity to learn and be inspired by the life of this international icon.
Tat'uMandela, has always insisted that the museum was not just to be a static collection and tribute to him; but a living memorial of the ideals he stood for.
The Museum was to inspire and enrich all who visit it; serving as a catalyst for development and transformation of our heritage landscape.
The Nelson Mandela Museum was Nelson Mandela's gift to the nation.
It showcases the accolades Tat'uMandela has received from different institutions, governments and outstanding leaders around the world.
The museum also consisting of images and artifacts that illustrate and illuminate his rich and inspiring life as narrated in the seminal autobiography, The Long Walk to Freedom.
On this important day, I am reminded of the words ofuTat'u Mandela when he said at the official opening of this historic institution on 11 February 2000: "...The Nelson Mandela Museum is a not for profit institution established by the government of South Africa as part of a portfolio of legacy projects that seek to transform the heritage landscape from our apartheid past. At the same time, it is a resource for promoting economic development throughout tourism in an impoverished region of the country. This is the region in which I was born and grew up."
Guided by these wise words, we must continue to use the Museum as a resource for promoting economic development through tourism.
We are also delighted that: the Nelson Mandela Museum is amongst the sites that have been nominated to be part of the Eastern Cape Provincial Chapter, of the Liberation Heritage Route.
As part of the Liberation Heritage Route, the museum will form part of efforts to take advantage of the linkages that exists between heritage and tourism.
This will contribute massively to the goal of building a better life for the local communities living next to where the museum is located.
We will therefore rely on members of the new council to ensure that this national asset, the Nelson Mandela Museum, contributes to the economy of the area in which it is located.
This is particularly important since as the Department of Arts and Culture we have begun a process of repositioning the department and all its institutions.
This repositioning is aimed at ensuring that we play a leading role in unleashing the potential of the cultural and creative industries to contribute to the goals of the New Growth Path, in particular the goal of promoting economic growth and job creation.
Part of this process will be a National Summit on the Cultural and Creative Industries which we will host this Thursday and Friday.
Out of this summit we will emerge with a number of resolutions that we will implement with a view to strengthen the contribution of the creative and cultural industries in the economy.
I look forward to your inputs at the summit.
Programme Director, one of the immediate tasks of the new council is to ensure that you pay attention to the persistent problem of qualified audits that continue to plague this institution.
We will work together with you to address this challenge.
Once more congratulations to the new Council.
You have our support and I trust that you will execute your tasks in a professional and diligent manner.
Thank you.
Source: Department of Arts and Culture
