Nelson Mandela Statue for London

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Honouring the first democratically elected President of South Africa and his contribution to combating all forms of racism in the modern world, this is the second specially commissioned Nelson Mandela statue London has had.

A nine foot bronze statute of the former President will be unveiled facing the Houses of Parliament, honouring Nelson Mandela as one of the greatest fighters for freedom in the 20th century. Capturing the spirit of the indomitable man who spent 27 years in prison and became one of the most widely recognised faces of the struggle for equality in South Africa, the Nelson Mandela statue London sitting in Parliament Square is intended to be a permanent statement of London's anti Apartheid stance and its determination to wipe out racism of all forms.

The statue itself was made by Ian Walters who created the other famous Mandela statue that sits on the South bank outside the Royal Festival Hall. The former bust was created by Walters in 1985 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the ANC.

Having taken a nine hour sitting to create the initial Nelson Mandela statue, London will be keen to see the final results at the unveiling. Begun in 2001 the sitting from the statesmen helped Walters to create the sculpture in clay. Evidently pleased with the 3D portrait, Mandela informed the sculptor that he had never sat for any other artists for such a lengthy period of time. Completed just before his death in 2006, Ian Walters chose Nigel Boonham to supervise the casting of the statue in bronze.

The idea for a statue of the man made so famous by the brutal regime of Apartheid in South Africa came from Donald Woods, who was a journalist and anti Apartheid activist in the country. His widow, along with the Mayor of London and members of the Mandela Statue Fund, including Sir Richard Attenborough will be present in Parliament Square for the unveiling.

Part of a seven year long campaign for sitting the statue in London, many are looking forward to the unveiling of the Nelson Mandela statue. London has long been a supporter of the famous statesman and his statue in Parliament Square will be a great moment for every Londoner in the fight for freedom and against racism.

See April 2007 report from the BBC >>