The Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory and Google has launched the Nelson Mandela digital archive project - a collection of the former presidents memorabilia online.

Google launch digital archive on Nelson Mandela‎

JOHANNESBURG - Google, in partnership with the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory (NMCM), launched a digital archive on Nelson Mandela today.

The annals include over 1,900 unique images, documents and videos and will continue to grow over time, said Mr Luke Mckend, country manager for Google, South Africa.

The digital records house Mr Mandela's correspondence with family, comrades, and friends, as well as diaries written in his 27-year imprisonment on Robben Island and notes he made while leading negotiations that led to the end of Apartheid in South Africa.

The archive will also have the earliest-known photograph of Mr Mandela, rare images of his prison cell and never-seen drafts of Mr Mandela's manuscripts for his autobiography 'Long Walk to Freedom'.

Mr Steve Crossan, director of the Google Cultural Institute said: 'The Mandela Digital Archive Project shows how the Internet can help preserve historical heritage and make it available to the world. We've worked closely with the NMCM to create an interactive online experience with powerful search and browsing tools, so that users can explore Mr Mandela's inspiring life story.'.