[View the story "Mandela in the imagination" on Storify ]Mandela in the imagination Storified by AJAMStream · Fri, Dec 06 2013 14:46:49
Nelson Mandela first
visited the United States in 1990, but through the arts, his politics entered the American consciousness long before he arrived. Artistic expressions of the anti-apartheid struggle played a crucial role in channeling Mandela's activism into a global civil rights movement.
Here's a look at cultural tributes to his legacy.
Gil Scott-Heron, most famous for his spoken-word piece "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", put his political voice to music in his 1976 song "Johannesburg"- one of the first anti-apartheid songs to come out of the U.S.
Gil Scott-Heron -Johannesburg -Live 1976 Old Grey Whistle Testthemastaselecta
In 1984, to protest Mandela's imprisonment, The Special A.K.A. performed the single "Nelson Mandela". The song hit number nine in the UK charts.
The Specials - Nelson Mandelaemimusic
A year later, world-famous musicians like Peter Gabriel, Miles Davis, and Bruce Springsteen teamed up to release the anti-apartheid album "Sun City" targeting the South African resort Sun City, where many major artists played during the apartheid regime.
Little Steven's SunCity Videovyan00
Also in 1985, Stevie Wonder released the song "It's Wrong (Apartheid)" and was arrested during an anti-apartheid protest in Washington, D.C. He dedicated his Oscar for the song "I Just Called to Say I Love You" to Mandela, prompting the South African government to ban all of his songs.
Stevie Wonder - It's Wrong (Apartheid)vernostonus
In 1987, South African musician Hugh Masekela released “Bring Him Back Home (Nelson Mandela),” which became an anthem for the Free Nelson Mandela movement.
Hugh Masekela Bring Back Nelson Mandelasimpleabs
A 1988 rock concert called "Freedomfest" is attributed with giving Mandela's story of struggle an international platform. The live concert, played in London's Wembley Stadium, was broadcast to an audience of
600 million people in 67 countries.
Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms Mandela Live 1988freegabri
With the advent of the internet, digital tributes began to take form. This mosaic was made of photographs from Flickr tagged with the words "portrait" and "Africa".
3 heads are better than 1: MYdibaMastaBaba
In March 2012, the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory created the
Nelson Mandela Digital Archive Project , digitizing thousands of Mandela's letters and documents. The organization also created the video below, which re-imagines Mandela's life in a time of social media.
Mandela Storycentreofmemory
The permeation of Nelson Mandela's influence was most recently
apparent on social networks following the leader's death. San Francisco photographer Miguel Rios made a visualization out of tweets sent in response to his death - more than 7.2 million tweets have been sent since the news broke on Thursday.
From Johannesburg to Essen, Germany, art installations honoring Mandela can be found across the globe.
Descansa en paz, Madiba. A small tribute in tweets: http://t.co/z5MqvKoPjn. Full resolution: http://t.co/z9wLOtuV1mMiguel Ríos
In 2012, South African artist Marco Cianfanelli constructed this monument on the site of Mandela's arrest 50 years prior. The piece represents the 27 years spent behind bars.
THE MANDELA MEMORIAL by Marco Cianfanelli, Jo'burg : stunning craft, ingenious design, truly a worthy installation... http://t.co/WtYAoQDIMagandeep Singh
This giant wooden sculpture, entitled "Mandela, 2700 pieces of Life's history" by artist Jems Robert Koko Bi sits in the city center of Essen, Germany. It is made of burned spruce wood and symbolizes the fight for freedom.
dailyjournal.net
This fall, the "We Love Mandela exhibit" launched in London which includes everything from paintings to photographs.
Art exhibition "We Love Mandela" based on life of Nelson Mandeladdnewsofficial
From Invictus to Goodbye Bafana , there have been many depictions of Mandela in film. The most recent of which, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom , will open in the U.S. on Christmas Day.
Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom - Idris Elba and Naomie Harris Featurette - The Weinstein Companytheweinsteincompany
Mandela himself was appreciative of art and its power.
Nelson Mandela via Ian Waldie/Getty Imagesajamstream
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