Mandela's granddaughter to visit Kansas City on tour to promote book about him

Nelson Mandela's granddaughter will visit the Kansas City Public Library in conjunction with a new book focusing on letters the South African anti-apartheid leader wrote during his nearly 30 years in prison.

Zamaswazi Dlamini-Mandela and Mandela Foundation senior researcher Sahm Venter will discuss "The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela" in a free event at 3 p.m. July 22 at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

Mandela was allowed to mail three letters a month from prison. He used them to remain relevant in national politics. The book, edited by Venter, features 255 of those letters. Dlamini-Mandela wrote the foreword.

The book is being released on July 10, the 100th anniversary of Mandela's birth. After his release from prison, he became president of the Republic of South Africa.

The Kansas City Public Library is one of four U.S. stops on the book tour, which also includes New York, San Francisco and Dallas.