Mandela's life celebrated as never before

Celebrating the late, great icon of anti-Apartheid activism, this new musical sees Cape Town Opera perform a three-part interpretation of Nelson Mandela's remarkable life, covering three key eras of his life. From his coming of age tribal ceremony on the river banks of the Mbashe, his carefree days in Sophiatown during the jazz era, to his incarceration on Robbins Island and finally freedom and political glory, 60 performers invite you to explore facets of Mandela that are rarely portrayed in the media, in a joyful and uplifting extravaganza.

This unique portrait of the man who touched hearts and minds worldwide with his message of tolerance and peace is opera on a grand, epic scale, with its large all-South African company, bringing together musical elements from the different eras of his key years; jazz and swing, to the Xhosa African folk music that formed his early days. Composed by both Peter Louis van Dijk and Mike Campbell, each installment of the production varies vastly in tone, perfectly demonstrating the upheaval within Mandela's life.