Mandela FaceApp revives Mandela Effect conspiracy theory

Just when the world thought the FaceApp wave was over, a Twitter user decided to try it on an old photograph of Nelson Mandela to further prove a theory the believe in and have come to refer to as ‘The Mandela Effect.’

A Twitter handle who goes by the user name @Jether_Calypso tweeted three FaceApped pictures of Mandela with the final result looking visibly different from the Mandela we know and he captioned it: “Huh… Guys, it wasnt him.” [sic]

Huh… Guys, it wasnt him 😲😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/n3WoD4ZS6i

— Rolla_🎲 (@Jether_Calypso) July 31, 2019

What is ‘The Mandela Effect’?

The Mandela Effect refers to the phenomenon in which a number of people misremember the events surrounding Madiba’s death. As a result, they are under the impression that he died earlier than he did. For some, he died in the 80s and for others, he died prior to the date of his actual death in 2013.

In most cases, these people also attest to having a memory of his death being widely covered in the media at the time it happened.

This has also happened with the “box of chocolates” quote from the Forest Gump film and the Berenstain vs. Berenstein bears debate.

I have come across freaky evidence of people saying they remember Nelson Mandela dying in prison in the 80's. Apparently he was replaced with a look alike. Apparently that's why he later gave all our resources away to the white oppressors at the end of apartheid.🤔 #67minutes pic.twitter.com/E86BwLhI4H

— Miss Origionality (@LindaMassh) July 18, 2019

Following @Jether_Calypso’s tweet of the Mandela FaceApp, various Twitter users weighed in with their suspicions on the Mandela effect and the theory that he actually died in the mid-1980s and was replaced by a lookalike.

Apparently the real Mandela died in prison. This one was false. Winne wasn’t finna stay married to an unknown human

— @ (@Mhan_L) July 31, 2019

https://twitter.com/DumiMbuthuma/status/1156512104398110721?s=20

There were those who rubbished @Jether_Calypso’s tweet.

https://twitter.com/TefoWritesStuff/status/1156504502473768960?s=20

But there are also those who have shared their own conspiracy theories and likened it to the unsubstantiated theory that has recently been doing the rounds claiming that Madiba was replaced by a man named Gibson Makanda (the surname has been spelt in different ways across various social media posts).

https://twitter.com/hag_dzuey/status/1148862627357057024?s=20

https://twitter.com/wokeKhaddafi/status/1129509446596616192?s=20

😂😂😂You believe this lwena? Kak story this pic.twitter.com/xR5vlPcd9M

— KGOSI🐦 (@KingMatsile) July 31, 2019

Mandela is not the only public figure to fall victim to falsehoods about his death, he is in the company of famous faces such as rapper Tupac Shakur who many believe is still alive and hiding out in Cuba as well as musician Elvis Presley.

Alot for a day, just learnt that Tupac Shakur is alive and kicking in Cuba! 😩

— Nomvuyo Ngwekazi 🏳️‍🌈 (@maybenotfenty) July 31, 2019

(Compiled by Kaunda Selisho)

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