NELSON MANDELA INTERNATIONAL DAY
NELSON MANDELA INTERNATIONAL DAY
July 18, 2016
“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead” – Nelson Mandela
In November 2009, the UN General Assembly declared July 18 as Nelson Mandela International Day in recognition of the former South African President’s contribution to the culture of peace and freedom.
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born on July 18, 1918 in Mvezo, South Africa. For 67 long years he devoted his life to the service of humanity.
Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years by the South African apartheid government for standing up against the government’s atrocious human rights abuses against black South Africans.
It was inspired by a call Nelson Mandela made a year earlier, for the next generation to take on the burden of leadership in addressing the world’s social injustices when he said that “it is in your hands now”.
It is not just a celebration; it is a day observed all over the world to honour a great man who is a human rights lawyer, an international peacemaker and the first democratically elected president of a free South Africa.
Mandela received more than 260 awards over 40 years, most notably the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.
Material source: www.un.org/mandeladay.com
Image credit: www.deadline.com
