Mandela Day shorts

South African and British visual artists, animators and musicians celebrate Mandela Day with these short films.

Nelson Mandela inspired generations of artists, who used their work to fight for his release and celebrate his achievements.

For the first Mandela Day since his death, The Space, The British Council and our partners in Glasgow, where Mandela Day was part of the cultural programme for the Commonwealth Games, brought together six emerging artists from South Africa and the UK to create three new short films.

The British Council Connect ZA programme and The Space commissioned three teams of emerging animators, video artists and musicians. In each team, British and South African artists worked together to create an original short film.

The films were released on July 18 – Mandela Day – 2014. They are:

  • The Earth is Flat by Kent Andreasen, with music by Auntie Flo and Esa Williams
  • Pied Piper’s Voyage by Lebohang Kganye, with music by Auntie Flo and Esa Williams
  • Vividism, by Konx-om-Pax, with music by Spoek Mathambo

About this artist

This project was commissioned by The Space and the British Council’s Connect ZA programme as part of SA-UK Seasons 2014 and 2015, which was a partnership between the Department of Arts and Culture, South Africa and the British Council.

The British Councils Connect ZA programme of arts projects celebrated 20 years of democracy in South Africa. It supported cultural connections between young people aged 18-35 in the UK and South Africa, and used digital platforms to build creative networks.

Auntie Flo is an electronic musician from Glasgow. He has travelled the world with the Auntie Flo live show and as a DJ. He founded the Highlife parties in Glasgow, London and Edinburgh to champion exciting artists from around the world. In 2014, he was awarded the Momentum Fund by the PRS for Music Foundation.

Konx-Om-Pax (Tom Scholefield) is an electronic musician and graphic artist from Glasgow. He has directed and designed numerous music videos, sleeves and visuals for Warp, Hyperdub and Death From Above. His directorial work has been screened and featured all over the world, from Glasgow to Tokyo.

Spoek Mathambo is an artist, producer, singer-songwriter and rapper. He received the Young Director Award at the 2011 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for his cover of Joy Division’s She’s Lost Control, and was nominated in the Best African Act category at the 2011, 2012 and 2013 MOBO Awards.

Lebohang Kganye is a photographer from Johannesburg, South Africa. She has exhibited both locally and internationally, at the Johannesburg Art Fair, Goodenough College in London and Maison Rouge in Paris, and received the 2012/13 Tierney Fellowship for her first solo exhibition, Ke Lefa Laka.

Kent Andreasen is a photographer and cinematographer. His work has been shown at the Johannesburg Art Fair and the M Gallery in Sydney, Australia. In 2013 he was commissioned by Ogilvy in partnership with Pendoring to shoot a three-part series about South African artists Zander Blom, The Essop Twins and Marcus Wormstorm.

Esa Williams is a musician from Cape Town who lives in London. He has played at Europe’s leading venues and festivals as part of the Auntie Flo live setup. He has toured to Cuba and South Africa as a solo act, and worked with with The Revenge and Harri for their Burnt Island Casuals alias, and with Ali Ooft, with whom he forms Prophets of The South.