Johannesburg (dpa) – Tech company Google has teamed up with South Africa’s Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory (NMCM) to create an online archive of photos and documents pertaining to the anti-Apartheid icon, according to an announcement on Tuesday. The free archive is divided into the various eras in the life of Mandela, who after 27 years in jail became South Africa’s first black president in 1994. He served for one term before retiring. He is now 93 and suffering from ailing health, living a quiet life away from the spotlight. “We’ve worked closely with the NMCM to create an interactive online experience which we hope will inspire you as much as us,” Google said on its blog. The archive contains “a wealth of information and knowledge about the life and legacy of this extraordinary African leader,” Google said. Included in the archive are letters to friends and family during his years in prison, and reflections on Mandela by other leaders, such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Mandela’s foundation insists the material has been archived by Google, but ownership over the items had not been transferred to the US-based company. Google launched the online project a year ago with a grant of 1.25 million dollars to the NMCM. Online: Source: Bikya Masr, Image: www.flickr.com
