When you met Madiba, “not only did you experience his greatness, he made you feel the greatness within yourself ... This app will allow everyone who uses it to follow in the footsteps of greatness.”
So said Derek Hanekom, Minister of Tourism, in his address at the launch of the exciting Madiba’s Journey app that Flow Communications developed on behalf on South African Tourism, and with the support of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
The launch took place at Liliesleaf Farm in Rivonia – a key site in Madiba’s journey.
As Nicholas Wolpe, the CEO of the Liliesleaf Trust, said at the launch, “The story of Nelson Mandela and that long walk to freedom really begins here, at Liliesleaf,” which made it a fitting venue at which to launch the app.
The launch was attended by a small number of people, including South African Tourism Board members and staff, Hanekom, Nelson Mandela Foundation CEO Sello Hatang and key foundation staff, members of the media such as LeadSA champion Yusuf Abramjee, senior members of the tourism industry and some of our awesome Flowstars.
The MC for the launch was South African presenter and businesswoman Gerry Elsdon, who related the story of how she first met Madiba at the ANC’s offices in Johannesburg. Elsdon said, “The reason for this app is so that more people around the world can encounter the South Africa that was [fought for] by Nelson Mandela and so many others.”
The interactive app allows users to travel virtually to 27 sites associated with Nelson Mandela, including Qunu in the Eastern Cape, where he was born and was laid to rest, the Capture Site in Howick, where he was caught in 1962 and subsequently disappeared from public view for 27 years, and the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory in Houghton, Johannesburg, where his archives are housed and where his post-presidential office was located.
Of course, the best way to experience the app to is actually travel to each of the sites and engage with the content at that location. The app includes a write-up on each site, details such as contact information and opening times, a gallery of images and audio clips – voiced by three of our very own Flowstars – enhanced with historical clips, such as Mandela speaking.
The app tells you how many kilometres you are from the site and allows you to check in to the site once you arrive. There is also an option to share information on the app (images, your check-in, etc.) onto your social media platforms. Users are also rewarded with digital awards for visiting the sites.
“This app will allow tourists to become fully immersed in the [places] that they visit,” said Hanekom.
Hatang, who also addressed guests at the launch, added: “As you take this journey you will also find unique, tangible information that will enrich your experience.”
Thrishni Subramoney, who was one of three voiceover artists who contributed to the audio on the app and who was responsible for the audio production, describes working on the app as “an emotional experience. It’s like Gerry Elsdon was saying: we all have our experiences of Madiba and getting an opportunity to pay tribute to that through your work is a privilege, and you hope that doing such things and opening Mandela up to a broader audience can create new experiences. In the way that Madiba’s journey was transformative, taking this journey could also be transformative.”
The app’s accessibility was a talking point at the launch. South African Tourism chairperson Zwelibanzi Mntambo said in an interview: “We are going to bring more people to Madiba’s story and for them to have it in their hands is great: being able to use it in your hands is critical.”
Jabu Matsilele, of Buja Tours, who attended the launch, said, “Wow! It’s the first of its kind, and I will definitely use it and I will share it with our clients.”
Said Mntambo as he thanked people for attending the launch, “This is a special day and moment for South African Tourism … I can’t believe that in such a short space of time the team that has worked on this has done such a fantastic job.”
Tara Turkington, CEO of Flow Communications, added in an interview afterwards, “We are incredibly proud to have produced the Madiba’s Journey app and to have been part of the groundbreaking idea to put a personal tour guide, who is an expert on Nelson Mandela, into the phone of every tourist in South Africa.”
Gianluca Tucci, project manager at Flow Communications, said in an interview, “App development is an exciting and spectacular area, and what an honour to be able to deliver one for the great man, Nelson Mandela. I appreciated and enjoyed every moment of the project management on the ‘Madiba’s Journey’ app – the most fascinating part of it, for me, was the process of considering the user’s experience and how the user would engage and utilise the mobile device. I’m really proud to be a Flowstar and see the app live and launched.”
Download the app onto your IOS or Android device and start experiencing it today.
