Big Zuu Gets His Hands Dirty _ The Mandela Project

Youtube originals .

It there .

You don't know .

I do no handiwork .

I literally get paid to cook .

My name is Big Zoo British rapper and award winning TV .

Chef .

Oh , it's so great along with my best friends tubs and I've been invited to take part in Mandela day .

Nelson Mandela is an international icon .

He spent his entire life fighting for freedom , equality and justice and brought an end to apartheid in South Africa every year on Mandela's birthday , July 18th , people in South Africa partake in an act of service in their community .

Inspired by his legacy .

My grandfather was the architect .

You heard Mandela Day , but it's really about getting involved , getting dirty , put on your gum boots , put on some gloves and going out there this year myself and five other celebrities will be taking Mandela Day Global by joining forces with the Nelson Mandela Foundation and undertaking our own acts of service in communities across the world .

Bold titles appear in front of Big Zoo and his team , the Mandela Project in Daba .

Mandela .

Nelson Mandela's grandson sits in a chair and is prepared for an interview .

You tell me when you're ready for me Sir .

I'm ready .

Thank you so much for doing this today , sir .

I am double Mandela , grandson of Nelson Mandela .

That is important for people of all backgrounds to get involved in Mandela Day , especially those from Gen Z .

And so we hope that people can do an act of service by using their hands or using their mind or using their resources and going out there and reaching out to people that you wouldn't usually reach out to in your normal daily life .

Mandela carried out of service for most of his life .

When he was in prison , he took up gardening and would grow produce to feed his fellow inmates and prison guards .

My grandfather thought that this was his escape from the daily monolithic presence that they had to deal with the concrete prison .

But in this garden , I believe they were able to gain hope hope that one day they would come out hope that one day apartheid would end and freedom would reign over all South Africans who live in the country in Robben Island .

We planted things like tomatoes , chilies onion .

The soil was not very good , but I manage , you know , to produce some good harvest .

And during Sundays , I used to supply the whole kitchen stuff with vegetables , big zoo and his guys ride in a car along a London street to honor Mandela's love of growing me and my boys tubs and are on our way to North London to help a local gardener and an 18 year old niece , transform their community garden through planting food and herbs .

I didn't grow up in a garden .

I , I , I never had a garden .

The first time I ever had a garden was when I moved in with these guys and my two gardener friends haven't done anything to inspire me .

I think creating a place that makes food for people and it's focused on giving back to the community is incredible .

I've always been about , you know , youth work and helping young people , but this is more about having like produce that people can use .

And I think now trying to give back at a young age just proves that , you know , you don't have to be an older person or be in a position of power to have an influence on the community .

You can be a young person and still make a change no matter how little .

And I think it's very empowering an aerial view of a residential street with tower blocks in the distance .

There are over 1000 community gardens in the UK .

This one is run by volunteer Sandra who wants to inspire a new generation of black growers by giving niece Taa her very own patch of land .

Big zoo walks up with tub and he a sign reads Devonshire Hill lane and 17 .

Hello .

Hello , how you doing ?

Nice to meet you guys .

So welcome to the love garden .

I'm feeling the love this is a space that's been created for the community to learn how to grow food , to bring everyone together .

Hence why you see that mural there , everyone is looking gold because we are celebrating diversity and all the people on that wall , they are real people .

Can you see someone there ?

Sandra is featured in the mural We that we that we , that , that speed win .

Brian Nelson Mandela's love for gardening was just another way that he expressed himself and also took agency over his life .

And so to be able to control and grow and create the very things that Nelson Mandela put in his own body was also a form of activism and self expression .

Hopson Powell , you take two , we look at the genesis of black and brown and indigenous peoples .

There was a deep connection to nature .

I think that a return to some of those best practices from hundreds and thousands of years ago uh would align us better in terms of health .

Only by revisiting the past .

Can we secure the future Lavinia ?

The Black curriculum .

The connection between person and the land is about life .

It's about sustaining life .

But I think that aspect of just overseeing something that you're pouring into is an important part of our human experience .

And um so often , especially in history , we've been disconnected from that process .

Black people in the UK are four times less likely than white people to have a garden which makes green spaces like this vital for the community .

Wood is cut for planning areas in the community garden .

We got this area now for taser to grow .

We have a couple of planters that , that we're gonna plant there with the trellis so that the vegetables that you grow can climb up .

And then we have all this bit here as well .

We're gonna move that bed over there next to the mural and it's gonna come over here and he's going to create three new beds .

We're all doing that today .

Of course .

Is that possible ?

Absolutely .

The guys are wearing trainers .

The CRE situation is a little bit really ?

You come to the garden wearing your creps .

We have , you got Wellies for something .

Yeah .

Hello .

Arabian brothers .

What you locked in ?

We are putting up the greenhouse .

Yes .

Please help his friends with some lifting .

I , you should be here because you're taller .

Stop complaining about your height .

You're blessed by God for me .

Who's got the best form ?

I'm gonna be so dead .

This letter .

You don't know .

I do no handiwork .

I literally get paid to cook .

There's bad snails here , but don't worry , it's fine car .

Like the French turning into big , big , big shreds .

I don't see much happening .

How big Z struggles with A He gives up and walks away .

Oh , I'm tired .

I need to brew .

I come from Portugal .

My mum's Portuguese and she's half Angolan as well .

My friend decided to leave Portugal because of financial problems because she was a single mother .

So she couldn't provide for me by herself .

So she moved to England where things were easier .

Hey , how you doing baby arrives at Sandra's allotment , black and white photos of Taesa and Sandra smiling together .

It's important for me to support because melanin rich people , we have always worked the land .

This is not new , right ?

But our Children are detached from the skill set that has been passed on to us for generations .

So it's important to take our Children from the urban that they are in at the moment , which is a little bit of a toxic environment to say the least and bring them back into nature so that they can stabilize themselves and balance themselves and breed in Dava .

Stands outside among flowers for us .

Food security is a huge issue , not only in Africa , but across the world .

And so it is important for us to teach young people about gardening about plants , about crops so we can become self sufficient .

I had a garden which I looked after and when the tomatoes were rot , the waters would be very friendly and come and get some tomatoes from the garden .

Studies have shown that gardens and green spaces can improve a person's physical and mental health .

With those who garden everyday reporting a 6.6% improvement in well-being and 4.2% lower stress levels than those who don't garden at all .

What do you think you get from growing ?

Like , what do you get from it in terms of , like , spiritually mentally ?

It's peaceful , very peaceful .

So , I like doing it to keep my mind off things of what's going on in the real world .

A little bit of a break from reality .

Exactly .

Because you know what cooking is my kind of break from reality when I , I'm not stuck in cooking , you know , concentrating on , you know what I mean ?

What's wrong with the , it's not really coming out or what's going on ?

I've never done this .

I've tried , I've tried my hardest .

This route goes deep .

You know , you like to cook and you like to eat .

But have you ever been interested in growing ?

It's something I've become more interested in , you know , the more I learn about food herbs and all them things there , the more I'm like , you know what ?

Maybe I need to grow my own .

We're not the only ones who have been drafted in by Sandra to help Taa today .

Paula Henry is co-founder of an organization called Black Roots , which aims to improve opportunities for black people in the world of horticulture and a view of the streets , Paulette .

Why don't we see more people of color doing things like this in terms of growing in this country , the majority of the people who own the land are non black people .

But we just need to take into consideration that there are lots of reasons why we don't see a lot of black people growing .

We have to get rid of kind of like the stigma one and then we have to be able to educate .

So as kind of like black roots , we deliver workshops , we're doing things at youth clubs , helping Children to understand where their food comes from and how it grows .

Sometimes you look at this country and think it's a bit backward in terms of teaching Children to grow because you know , there's loads of places in the world where a lot of their curriculum is about growing their own food and understanding nature growing up , I didn't have a house that had a garden .

So for me , I wasn't involved in any growing .

I , I've done a little bit in primary school for like one day , like , but I feel like I've learned more here than I have in the past 10 , 15 years about growing stuff .

A photo of big Zoo in front of a love garden mural .

I think it's really important that this generation holds on to and also learns the principles that Nelson Mandela believed in .

There's this saying that a good man plants a tree that he knows he will never sit in the shade of .

So you're kind of doing something for the future generations knowing that you probably won't be around to reap the rewards of that .

Nowadays , social media makes it easier than ever to spread the message , to talk about social causes that we believe in and to have our voices heard , to teach people to inform people .

And I think if gen Z can harness those tools and use them responsibly , then they can do so much good in this world .

So we have tomatoes , sweet peppers and jeans .

They're all the same family .

So they need to come to be planted , planted together .

Yeah .

So how are you feeling ?

I done this before .

This is normal for you .

I've got the best teacher .

Oh , we should have a plant so you could do it the fastest .

We're moving .

See I've done three in the time .

You've done what ?

Two ?

I I I you now I'm talking about fried bananas .

I'm planting a images of the volunteers involved for all those who continue to give service in their own way .

I thought you with it .

Every one of us can make an imprint .

Thi this is your garden .

Are you feeling the love right now ?

I am feeling the love .

We're very proud of you .

But are you proud of us ?

I am .

Look at this .

It's all right .

I don't wanna lie .

I feel like we've done a good thing for the community today .

You know , following in Nelson Mandela's steps , I feel , I feel great .

And you know what ?

He once said , a winner is a dreamer that never gives up .

Um See it there .

You got bar .

So to say thank you to you guys , you got a little barbecue in the back .

A selection of meat and vegetables is being prepared by big zoo and his friends at the barbecue .

The volunteers help themselves to the food .

I've definitely been inspired by Taya and Sandra and I hope others will be too .

I urge everyone to go out into their communities and do their own acts of service , big or small .

So get out there and get involved .

Sandra kisses Taa .

By the mural , there's an old age African sing that says if you wanna go fast , you go all over .

But if you wanna go far , you go together , we will be able to achieve anything .

Thanks to the Nelson Mandela Foundation director Hughes Verdi , Producer Carissa , a production of a division of Paramount youtube originals .