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Today marks 99 years since Nelson Mandela was born. Since 2009, the former South African President and Nobel Peace Prize winner’s birthday has been celebrated as Mandela Day – a reminder of his work and message. This year, London gained a permanent reminder of the activist.
Mandela Street in Camden has gained a new mural of the man himself. Painted by artists from Global Street Art, the portrait shows the politician and revolutionary wearing a shirt inspired by flowers from South Africa, including national flower the protea.
The painting’s location is particularly pertinent given its location on Mandela Street. In the ’80s the road was home to the headquarters of South African political party the African National Congress (ANC). Mandela took charge of the party in the ’90s after spending 27 years in prison as a result of his fight against colonialism and racial segregation in the country. It was with the ANC that he became South Africa’s first black president and first democratically elected leader.