The restoration of Madiba’s historic home in Mqhekezweni – 15 July 2010
The programme began yesterday (15 July), when staff of the Nelson Mandela Museum, the Chief of Mqhekezweni, community elders, MPs and learners volunteered 67 minutes of their time to restore the traditional dwelling that was Mr Mandela’s home from the age of nine until he left for Johannesburg aged 21, clean up royal graves and construct a new kraal.
Mqhekezweni is the original Great Place of King Dyalindyebo of Thembu, and was the home of the Regent, Jongintaba Mtirara, who took responsibility for grooming the young Nelson Mandela after the death of his father.
While Mvezo, where Mr Mandela was born, and Qunu, where he was raised between the ages of two and nine after his father was deposed as chief, are relatively well known and recognised, Mqhekezweni has until now remained relatively obscure.
It was at Mqhekezweni that Mr Mandela recalled learning of the history of his people. In his book, Long Walk to Freedom, he writes of sitting beneath the tall trees and learning of heroism, dispossession of land, and the injustices visited on his people by the oppressive white regime.
“My political interest was first aroused when I listened to elders of our tribe in my village as a youth. They spoke of the good old days before the arrival of the white man. Our people lived peacefully under the democratic rule of their kings and counselors and moved freely all over the country,” he wrote.
The traditional dwelling that Mr Mandela shared with Justice Mtirara, the son of King Jongintaba still stands, as do the tall trees.
Spokesperson for the Nelson Mandela Museum, Ms Nokuzola Tetani, said the Mqhekezweni project aimed, first and foremost, to sensitise communities, and youth in particular, to the value of protecting heritage sites, and preserving and restoring cultural immovable property.
“It is important for us to recognise the places where Madiba walked, the places that nurtured him. His footprints are all over the earth at Mqhekezweni.”
Member of Parliament Dr Zukile Luyenge said it was important, as a nation, to preserve sites of historic national significance.
The Mqhekezweni project is one of the highlights of a multidimensional programme to celebrate Mr Mandela’s 92nd birthday, that also includes the launch by the Honourable Lulu Xingwana, Minister of Arts and Culture, of an innovative exhibition in Mthatha, and a workshop for local youth on the preservation of earth buildings and protection of sites of historical significance.
Posted in - Nelson Mandela, Places
