Global Youth Advancement Network :: Attached to the Soil

In his 1994 inaugural address, President Nelson Mandela shared the following metaphor expressing his aspirations for the new South Africa and its people...

"I have no hesitation in saying each one of us is as intimately attached to the soil of this beautiful country as are the famous jacaranda trees of Pretoria and the mimosa trees of the Bushveld. Each time one of us touches the soil of this land, we feel a sense of personal renewal."

Attached to the Soil (ATTS) began in 2019, the 25th anniversary year of President Mandela’s inauguration. It started as a series of 50 three-part artworks, finalized by artist Peter Glendinning during his 7 months of service as a Fulbright Scholar in South Africa.

Each work resulted from his collaborations with young South Africans who shared their aspirations for their country in a soil-related metaphor. Each metaphor was then paired with a person with a life experience related to that metaphor, who shared their story and posed in a “tableau portrait” photograph associated with their life's realities.

Following Prof. Glendinning's 2022 Fulbright Specialist service project, coordinated by the University of Pretoria School of the Arts, South African youth are now invited to form their own projects and share them on the GYAN website worldwide!

Note: We are currently still accepting submissions from students attending one of the South African universities Prof. Glendinning has visited during his 2019 and 2022 Fulbright Scholar services. Attached to the Soil (ATTS) is an opportunity for all to join in expressing their hopes and reflections, and the realities of people they know and respect. No special photography skills required! Visit the ATTS Submission Page for more information.

Our goal for the future is to provide an expanded platform that will include online workshops for young people from other countries, to better prepare them for joining the ATTS series. We hope those young voices can be united in sharing the history and realities of their lives through visual, oral, and transcribed storytelling.

GYAN is proud to showcase below the collaborative projects created by young South Africans in 2019 and beyond, and looks forward to sharing upcoming projects!

Young man reading a book.

International Studies & Programs

Attached to the Soil

"I have no hesitation in saying each one of us is as intimately attached to the soil of this beautiful country as are the famous jacaranda trees of Pretoria and the mimosa trees of the Bushveld. Each time one of us touches the soil of this land, we feel a sense of personal renewal."

Durban University of Technology Student Projects

Nelson Mandela University Student Projects

South Africa, 2019