Chewstick honours Mandela

A poignant tribute to Nelson Mandela was painted on the front of the Chewstick building tonight on Court Street.

The iconic South African leader died last Thursday at 95.

A dozen or so people were assembled at the corners of Court and Elliot Streets while the mural was being painted.

Gavin Smith said the Chewstick organization regularly repaints the front of the building every three months or so.

Mr Smith said: “Nelson Mandela’s legacy and journey is something that humanity is eternally blessed to witness. When he first came out of jail I was in primary school and I remember how elated everyone was.

“Chewstick has an ongoing community art project where we change this mural every three to four months. We’re glad to have other stakeholders like Jamaican Grill get involved with it.

“For us, art is a positive tool to create positive change in the community. Nelson Mandela personifies positive change in the community done with the right reasons.

“He was a pure blood revolutionary and he was incarcerated. But when he returned, he returned a peacemaker, a bridge-builder. That’s the whole purpose of Chewstick’s existence, the whole reason while we’re here on this block rather than anywhere else in Bermuda.

“Bermuda needs to see positive change and bridge-building change where all people are allowed and encouraged to participate. That’s what this space represents and that’s what Nelson Mandela personifies as an icon.

“This was a no-brainer. This seemed a fitting tribute to a global icon and legend.”