The Mail & Guardian has a fascinating piece on “The Rise and Rise of the Nelson Mandela Industry.” It is a quite remarkable phenomenon. But also an understandable one, as it blends commerce with the undeniable love of Mandela among South Africans, and as important, among tourists and other visitors to the country. Mandela is a venerated figure, and in this day and age it is nearly impossible to pretend that commercial interests will not recognize and exploit that veneration, sometimes in perfectly acceptable ways, sometimes in the form of kitsch, and sometimes (ok, usually) simply out of naked avarice.