The grandson of Nelson Mandela, the former President of South Africa, is to auction an NFT (non-fungible token) of two of his books to raise funds for a new mental health care app.

Dumani Mandela, 44, is the son of Phumla Makaziwe Mandela, the second daughter of South Africa’s first black head of state and a former winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

After a career in management consulting, insurance and banking, he has spent the last 14 years working for his family’s investment company OSR Holdings, specialising in train manufacturing and property development.

He is also the author of four books, including I Dream of Kemet and Young and on the run from Apartheid.

I Dream of Kemet is a novel about African magic realism from an African perspective, while Young and on the run from Apartheid is a fast-paced novel about one man’s search for humanity against the backdrop of apartheid.

Mandela is now seeking to convert the books into an NFT, a type of digital asset, with proceeds from the sales going towards his mental health care web app My Minimalist, which is currently in the prototype stage.

He is working on the release with BlockSmart NFT, a digital creative agency based in London.

BlockSmart NFT provides a full, turnkey management service for creatives who want to explore and monetise NFT, advising on strategy, promotion, tokenisation, monetisation and representation.

Mr. Richard Ossei, BlockSmart NFT CEO, said: “We work with creatives and handle the digital administration and promotional side whenever they want to launch an NFT.

“Given Dumani’s family background, we expect there to be considerable interest in his tokens, and it is particularly pleasing that on this occasion the proceeds will be going to such a good cause.”

The NFTs will be listed on the OpenSea platform in mid-August.

SOURCE