A new mural commissioned by local charity Mandela8, which features a portrait of Nelson Mandela and an inspirational quote from him, is almost complete in Liverpool 8. The stunning artwork, created by John Culshaw, infamous for his range of murals across the City of Liverpool, is set to transform the the Upper Parliament Street end of Princes Avenue.
Locals have seen the mural develop day-by-day on the feature wall of the Kuumba Imani Millennium Centre (KIMC) with a wave of excitement building over the past few weeks until its completion. The end result of the Liverpool 8 mural is set to be a stunning tribute with a strong message from Nelson Mandela himself – “education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world”.
Just amazing. A new landmark mural in L8 👏🏾 ❤️ @Mandela800 @JohnCulshaw8 @Kuumba_Imani pic.twitter.com/7sJXHrVzAn
— Sonia Bassey MBE (@SoniaBassey1) April 19, 2022
Sonia Bassey MBE, Chair of Mandela8, said: “This has been a while in development behind the scenes and adds to the already significant regeneration along Princes Avenue that has seen Mandela8 influencing and shaping the very fabric of our community. It will be a fitting tribute to one of the most significant leaders in the world in advance of the Mandela Family’s visit to Liverpool this July.
“We are delighted that KIMC allowed us to use this wall for the mural. John Culshaw is an amazingly talented artist, and it has been a privilege for Mandela8 to work with him. We have already seen a real excitement about the work developing and we envisage – like all John’s work – it will become a major attraction for visitors.”
The completion of the new mural will come ahead of the opening of the new Nelson Mandela memorial in Princes Park this July. Nelson Mandela’s daughter Dr Maki Mandela and his granddaughter, Tukwini Mandela will be on hand to cut the ribbon on the memorial dedicated to the iconic South African leader as part of a week-long visit this summer.
Stephen Nze, Mandela8 Ambassador, who has been leading site management said: “It’s great to finally see this project come to life; the mural is set to become a landmark within our community. It’s been amazing working with John and it’s great that it will be placed where it will be visible to so many traveling through our community, as well as those that live within it, with a powerful message to all – young and old alike.”
Be sure to visit the site and watch this wonderful piece of artwork come together at Kuumba Imani, 4 Princes Road, L8 1TH.