Ripple of Hope

Today, more than 20 years after his release from prison, Nelson Mandela is one of the most recognizable people on Earth. It is, however, important to remember- and a reminder of the harsh rule of Apartheid- that throughout his 27 year imprisonment Mandela was the invisible man and no one had any real idea what he looked like. All the posters shown here were drawn based on the artists' ideas about what he might look like based on his pre-imprisonment photographs. The only exception to this was the photograph of Mandela and Walter Sisulu in a courtyard on Robben Island- the top right photograph in the 'I will return' poster.