14 DAY TRIAL // Google has announced that an impressive archive of documents, photographs and videos related to Nelson Mandela are now available online thanks to the Nelson Mandela Center of Memory and a Google grant.
"Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory (NMCM) is committed to documenting the life and times of one of the world's greatest statesmen and spreading his story to promote social justice throughout the world," Google explained.
The company donated $1.25 million, €940,000 last year for the preservation and digitization of the archives and that grant has now resulted into the new online archive.
"Today, the Mandela archive has become a reality. Along with historians, educationalists, researchers, activists and many others around the world, you can access a wealth of information and knowledge about the life and legacy of this extraordinary African leader," Google announced.
The new site is more than just a library of content, it also tells a story and the context around the photos, letters and so on. In fact, it's almost a complete biography of the man, starting from his early life.
Photographs and documents are presented chronologically and there's a brief description of what they mean and what happened between two consecutive pieces in the archive.
Anyone interested in the man's life and work will find plenty of things to like in the archive, from personal letters to official documents.
The site is rather flashy but practical, the default view has a more visual approach with slides containing either pieces from the archive or additional explanations. But you can also dig into a full page mode which offers a better view of the documents. If you're interested in a particular time period or a particular document, you can search for the specific things you want.