Welcome to The Mandela Poster Project! I'm Robbie Conal, that “guerrilla poster guy.” Since 1986 (“MEN WITH NO LIPS,”) I’ve done over 90 satirical street posters, mostly of too powerful ugly old men in suits and ties. I do an original oil painting, then get 1000’s of posters printed up. With the help of terrific local volunteer guerrilla-postering crews, I put them up on city streets around the country. 

But this time is different. A few months ago, our good friends Tom Harding & Dorothy Garcia, from non-profit ARTAIDSART.ORG based in Cape Town, South Africa, asked me if I would paint a positive, celebratory street poster of Nelson Mandela. I haven’t done many positive portraits. But the few I have made, (including WATCHING, WAITING, DREAMING of Gandhi, The Dalai Lama, and Martin Luther King, Jr.) have been much more soulful fun for me, and everybody else! 

This portrait of Mandela is especially meaningful to me. During the past year we all became sadly aware that Nelson Mandela had fallen very ill. We felt that making a positive portrait of him, and distributing it with the help of ARTAIDSART.ORG in South Africa and around the US, could be a powerful way of celebrating his life, honoring his courage, and engaging people in conversation about his enormous and ultimately successful struggle to overcome the oppression of Apartheid in South Africa. Thus The Mandela Poster Project was born.

Most people know Mandela fought long and hard to abolish Apartheid. Most know he was the first black African elected to the Presidency of South Africa. All South Africans know Mandela loved music and dancing (doing his signature "Madiba Shuffle," at every public appearance). Mandela once said, "Music and dance are what make me at peace with the world, and at peace with myself." When I heard this (on a You Tube video), it really moved and inspired me personally. How someone who was imprisoned–for more than 27 years–for resisting his government’s harsh policy of Apartheid, could still find optimism and humanity through music and dance, that just blew my mind!

"WALKING" AND "DANCING": THE MANDELA POSTER PROJECT

We decided to print not one, but two matching versions of the Nelson Mandela poster. “WALKING”, is a reference to Mandela’s autobiography, “Long Walk to Freedom.” “DANCING,” is in honor of the “Madiba Shuffle.” With your support over 5,000 posters will be sent to Cape Town, South Africa in the next few months, courtesy of ARTAIDSART.ORG. There, with the help of its eKhaya EKasi Art & Education Center members and partners, the posters are being distributed for free throughout townships surrounding Cape Town. Additionally, I’ll take them “on tour” to cities around the US. With your help we hope to cover Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Seattle, Chicago, New York, and Washington DC during the coming months.

YOUR SUPPORT MEANS THE WORLD TO US!

This is the biggest project we’ve ever undertaken. To ensure that we achieve all we’ve set out to do, we’ve created this Indiegogo campaign to ask for your support. Your tax-deductible contribution will help cover the major costs of printing 9,500 posters, as well as packing and shipping expenses to Cape Town, South Africa and across the US. 

Also, 50% of any funds raised beyond our initial goal of $10,000, will go to serve the members of eKhaya eKasi Art & Education Center, ARTAIDSART’s non-profit outpost in one of the largest townships in the world, just outside of Cape Town. Their creative arts, literacy, and entrepreneurship programs encourage self-esteem and self-expression, and provide the financial education needed to help people pull themselves out of poverty. The other 50% will help us spread Mandela posters to even more cities and towns across America! 

Humanity is not free until we’re all free of poverty. Hopefully, we can apply Mandela’s example, that of his courageous life as well as the lessons of the worldwide campaign to free him, to lead us in the right direction. We’re all in this together—and that’s the point. Ubuntu! 

WE HAVE SOME GREAT TAX-DEDUCTIBLE PERKS FOR YOU!

In return for your support we have some fantastic perks, starting with high quality, weather proof stickers of both "WALKING" and “DANCING.” We also have posters of both "WALKING" and “DANCING," personally signed and dated by Robbie Conal. We're also introducing two beautiful sets of limited-edition prints on archival paper, printed by POVevolving, in Los Angeles. Each is signed, numbered and dated by Robbie. And for those few of you who may be inclined to help out in a really big way, Robbie would be delighted to have you plus three guests (of your choosing) over for lunch and a special private tour of his L.A. art studio. All donations go to ArtAidsArt.org and are completely tax-deductible!

FEBRUARY 24TH UPDATE: WE'VE JUST ADDED A NEW PERK! T-SHIRTS! We are nearing the final days of our Indiegogo campaign, and we hope this will inspire those of you who are still on the fence to make the leap, and help us over the hump. These beautiful, soft poly/cotton blend t-shirts manufactured by Next Level, come in charcoal grey. There are only 12 WALKING T-shirts and 12 DANCING T-shirts. One size only: Men's Large, fitted. Buy it for yourself, for a friend, for a loved one; wear it anywhere. We really want you to grab one while they last, so we're throwing in a free Walking or Dancing sticker!

THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT! 

We know some of you may want to donate but don't have the spare cash right now. We totally understand. You can still help us out enormously by passing this fundraising project on to your friends and family. Please encourage them to make tax-deductible contributions and you just may see these posters in your town one day! 

Heartfelt thanks to all who’ve pitched in with their talents and expertise so far: David Mayes and Harry Montgomery, our incredible printers at Typecraft, Wood & Jones, Inc, in Pasadena, Doug Dearth and his amazing film crew, editor Elizabeta (Boom Boom) Betinski, designer Brian Lauzon, studio assistant Lindsay (Goldilox) Sochar, and especially Tom Harding and Dorothy Garcia of ARTAIDSART.ORG. This poster project wouldn’t have happened without their amazing inspiration, support, and encouragement. 

AND NOW WHAT HAPPENS?

Everything is ready to go. All that’s missing is you, and your own unique brand of support and encouragement. Please help us reach our financial goal by clicking on any of the goodies below. We can't wait to fill your pledges, and get Nelson Mandela up and WALKING and DANCING on the streets of America, and especially in the townships around South Africa, as soon as possible. We can't do it without YOU!

Thanks–and bunnyhugs–from Robbie Conal & Deborah Ross

WALKING and DANCING posters, stickers, and limited edition prints by Robbie Conal are just waiting to be yours.

MORE INFORMATION:

If you want to find out more about the amazing work that eKhaya eKasi Art & Education Center does for the people of Khayelitsha, one of the largest townships in South Africa, please visit and explore their websites: ArtAidsArt.org, CapeTownshipTour.com, and LovingAfrica.com.