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Nelson Mandela,
center, with his wife Graca Machel, left, and his former
wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, right. (AP Photo/Star, Debbie
Yazbek) | |
South Africa's first black president Nelson
Mandela is to become a comic strip hero in a new project aimed at
encouraging young people to read, his charity foundation said.
"We are harnassing comics to get across the message and the values of
Mr Mandela," John Samuel, chief executive of the Nelson Mandela
Foundation, said Thursday.
One million copies of each of the seven comic strips depicting
Mandela's life will be distributed in newspapers and schools across South
Africa as part of events celebrating the ex-president's 87th birthday on
July 18.
"Comics are an extremely useful way of bringing young people into
reading," said Samuel. "Comics in fact are a very powerful vehicle for
introducing literature, various aspects of reading to young people."
"And this is our objective here," he told a news conference.
Samuel dismissed a suggestion that the world's most revered statesman should not be reduced to a
comic figure.
"It would take a lot more than comics to demean his stature," said Samuel.
"That's the least of our problems."
Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison for opposing apartheid before
becoming president in 1994, won a court order in May to stop a former
confidant from selling fake
artwork bearing his name.
Mandela is to spend his 87th birthday with his wife Graca Machel, the
wife of former Mozambican president Samora Machel, his three daughters, grand-children and great-grandchildren, at his home in the Eastern Cape village
of Qunu.
(Agencies) |
南非首任黑人總統納爾遜·曼德拉名下的慈善基金會表示，一項旨在鼓勵年輕人讀書的新項目要把曼德拉寫進漫畫書，并讓他成為其中的男主角。
納爾遜·曼德拉基金會執行總裁約翰·塞繆爾周四稱：“我們將利用漫畫向人們傳遞曼德拉先生的思想及價值觀。”
描寫曼德拉生活的七本漫畫書將通過南非國內的報紙和學校各發行100萬冊，以慶祝7月18日這位南非前總統的87歲生日。
塞繆爾稱，“漫畫是促使年輕人讀書的一種非常有用的方式，事實上，漫畫也是向年輕人介紹文學作品和其他讀物的一種有效途徑。”
“這是我們的目的所在。”他在記者招待會上表示。
有人認為這位世界上最受人尊敬的政治家不應被寫進漫畫作品，但塞繆爾不同意這樣的說法。
“漫畫不會貶低他的聲望，”塞繆爾說。“這不是什么大問題。”
曼德拉在1994年成為南非總統之前，曾因反對種族隔離政策在監獄中度過27個年頭。今年5月，法院下令禁止其昔日密友出售附有曼德拉名字的偽造藝術品。
曼德拉將與妻子格拉薩·馬謝爾、他的三個女兒、孫子及曾孫們一起，在庫奴的東開普村莊度過他的87歲生日。馬謝爾是莫桑比克已故前總統薩莫拉·馬謝爾的遺孀。
（中國日報網站譯） |
Updated: 2005-07-11 10:43
