February 15, 2019

CN&CO #SharingTheLove – the iMadiba Project

Apart from the work we do with our awesome clients and partners, CN&CO is also involved in a number of projects and organisations that make a big difference in the lives of many people.

Over the next few weeks we will share some of these with you and invite you to join us in uplifting the individuals and communities involved in these projects…

iMadiba Project installations are popping up all over the place – and many of these places and donors were introduced by CN&CO and the people in our network.

The idea behind the project is to create ‘safe’ spaces for people to share their views and opinions without judgement or fear of recrimination. We have worked very closely with Satrix, Sanlam, St Stithians, the JSE, Iziko Museums, the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Econorisk, and a number of other organisations and people to get installations up all over the country. We have seen some great involvement from the CN&CO community as we try to create conversations for change.

Erhardt Thiel, the iMadiba artist, describes the sites (or installations) as “listeners’ corners” rather than “speakers’ corners”. It is where people from all walks of life can get to know and understand each other in the spirit of acceptance, he says.

“There are already 20 iMadiba sites in existence: this is great momentum for this project and we hope to build many more sites around the world. There are sites at schools, at corporates offices, in public spaces, and more,” says CN&CO’s Lethabo-Thabo Royds.

“It has been great to see how each iMadiba Project site sits within its environment. The site at Nirox Sculpture Park is the first of the iMadiba Artist Collaborative Editions (ACEs) and it is considered the ‘blank canvas’ copy. Unlike the other sites, this site has no bars to allow for other artists to erect sites around the world using the blank canvas as the starting point. The site at Econorisk, the first site in a corporate office, has a great Nelson Mandela quote on the wall near the site. The site at the Iziko South African musuem is also an indoor copy but it is surrounded by an amazing Nelson Mandela exhibition curated by the museum team,” she adds. “Visit one or all of the sites and have conversations. Then snap a photo and share it with us on social media,” she concludes.

In 2019 a site was unveiled at Laerskool Jan van Riebeeck. At the launch the iMadiba artist spoke along with Madiba’s former PA Zelda la Grange, and ex political prisoner Tom Moses. There are also some scheduled sites for exciting places around the country and we hope to more sites outside South Africa.

Join the conversation on social media using #iMadibaProject and following the project on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram or by visiting the project website.