The Nelson Mandela Foundation announces FREE — a global conversation about freedom

Inspired by Nelson Mandela's enduring ethos - Free yourself. Free others. Serve every day. - the Nelson Mandela Foundation announces FREE - an ambitious international publishing, film and exhibition project bringing together fifty remarkable voices to reflect on the meaning of freedom in their own lives.

Featuring artists, athletes, musicians, writers, actors, activists and community leaders from around the world, FREE explores the personal journeys, struggles and responsibilities that shape our understanding of freedom. Rather than offering a single definition, the project presents a rich tapestry of lived experience - stories of overcoming adversity, extending compassion, serving others and discovering purpose.

Conceived in partnership with New Zealand social entrepreneur Lisa King, award-winning publisher and filmmaker Blackwell & Ruth, and photographer Magdalena Wosinska, FREE continues the Foundation's long-standing commitment to creating spaces for dialogue that deepen our understanding of Nelson Mandela's ideas and their relevance today.

Dr Mbongiseni Buthelezi, Chief Executive of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, said:

"Nelson Mandela understood freedom not as an individual achievement, but as an ongoing responsibility to others. FREE reflects that understanding by bringing together voices from many different backgrounds and experiences, each offering a personal perspective on what it means to free oneself, to help free others, and to live in service of one's community. We hope these conversations encourage reflection, dialogue and a renewed commitment to the values Madiba devoted his life to."

The participants include respected and influential figures from around the globe, each contributing a deeply personal reflection on freedom. Together, their stories form a collective conversation that transcends geography, profession and generation, revealing both the diversity of human experience and the values that connect us.

Participants include actors and producers LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Samuel L. Jackson, Alfre Woodard, Jurnee Smollett, John David Washington, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Theo Rossi and Bella Ramsey, former principal ballerina Lauren Anderson, award-winning chef Gregory Gourdet, musicians Mon Rovîa, Ali Campbell and Jerry Dammers, skateboarder and designer Chad Muska, female health researcher Kayla Barnes-Lentz, professional basketball player and recovery advocate Chris Herren, and podcasters and authors Rich Roll and Ruby Warrington, among others.

Selected excerpts from the interviews are being released from July 2026, ahead of the publication of the book, a feature documentary and a major photographic exhibition in 2027.

The project has been developed with the support of Lisa King and her company Free AF, whose partnership has helped make these conversations possible. A percentage of royalties generated by FREE, together with a contribution linked to AF products, will support the Nelson Mandela Foundation's work to mobilise Mandela's legacy through dialogue, memory, leadership and advocacy in pursuit of more just, equitable and democratic societies.