Joining with Nelson Mandela International Day celebrations around the world, Florence is hosting a series of initiatives today to highlight the South African political leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner’s legacy of peace and reconciliation.
Themed lectures, artistic installations and performances are still underway at the Mandela Forum (piazza Berlinguer 5) until 8pm. Later in the evening, the Forum’s Arene di Marte cinema will screen the films Atto di difesa: Nelson Mandela ed il processo di Rivonia (9.45pm) and The Young Karl Marx (9.30pm, Italian version).
Memorial at the Mandela Forum / ph. Massimo Sestini
Festivities will peak with a commemorative event at 10pm in piazza della Signoria, with emcee Carlo Nicoletti. From the main entrance steps of Palazzo Vecchio, Mayor Dario Nardella will pay tribute to Mandela’s teachings as an anti-apartheid crusader; Nardella’s speech will be interspersed with video clips and comments from the public during an open-mic session led by Nicoletti.
First instituted by the United Nations in 2010, Nelson Mandela International Day aims to answer Mandela’s call “to make of the world a better place.” This year’s official focus is on taking action against poverty and the event coincides with what would have been Mandela’s 100th birthday.
