How Bet’s series “Madiba” can inspire you to visit Mandela’s freedom landmarks in South Africa

Still from the miniseries, “Madiba”. (Photo: Marcos Cruz)

FOLLOW IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF NELSON MANDELA WITH SOUTH AFRICAN TOURISM AS BET NETWORKS LAUNCHES MADIBA

February 6, 2017, New York, NY — As BET Networks launches its movie event Madiba, a three-part saga telling the life story of Nelson Mandela airing in February, South African Tourism highlights how travelers inspired by the extraordinary story, can take a journey to the source and follow in his footsteps.  

Starring Laurence Fishburne as Nelson Mandela, Madiba is the cornerstone of BET’s Black History Month programming. The show tells the story of Mandela’s life, focusing on the man, and his innermost thoughts and fears as he fought and sacrificed for freedom, becoming an international icon and South Africa’s first black president in 1994. While many recognize Mandela as the face of the Anti-Apartheid Movement, this mini-series also pays homage to the many lesser known men and women who sacrificed and suffered with him in South Africa’s quest for freedom. Orlando Jones plays Oliver Tambo and David Harewood stars as Walter Sisulu, two of Mandela’s closest friends, while Terry Pheto plays Nelson’s second wife, Winnie Mandela.

The beautifully shot series was filmed exclusively in South Africa where inspired travelers can delve deeper into the country’s rich past and visit the landmarks that were pivotal to Mandela’s journey to freedom. These range from the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Robben Island, where Mandela served 18 of his 27-year incarceration, to Mandela House Museum in Soweto, Johannesburg, where visitors can get a glimpse of how he and his family lived during the years of apartheid. Mandela Capture Site in Howick (pictured) is also a featured attraction as it was here where Mandela was ultimately arrested and marked the start of long, dark period in the liberation struggle. Today this site features an impressive sculpture in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.

• Photo credits: South African Tourism. Nelson Mandela Capture Site in Howick

In partnership with The Nelson Mandela Foundation, South African Tourism offers travelers a specialized Madiba’s Journey free mobile app with a “Madiba-inspired tourist attractions” map which highlights the four key provinces that defined the iconic leader’s illustrious life.  The application called “Madiba’s Journey” is downloadable free of charge in English for phones working under IOS (Apple) and Android.