Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post provides three article excerpts and four videos about Mandela Day, with a special focus on Nelson Mandela's 100th Birthday: July 18, 2018.
The content of this post is presented for historical and cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Nelson Mandela for his life's legacy. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
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Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/07/fmr-president-barack-obama-speaks-at.html for a companion pancocojams post entitled "Fmr. President Barack Obama Speaks At Mandela Day In South Africa July 18, 2018 (video & complete transcript)".
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ARTICLE EXCERPTS ABOUT MANDELA DAY
Excerpt #1:
From https://torontosun.com/news/world/south-africa-barack-obama-mark-nelson-mandela-centennial-with-charity/wcm/5219b59f-d2c9-4d1f-b126-c929b61470a9 South Africa, Barack Obama mark Nelson Mandela centennial with charity
Associated Press, July 18, 2018
"JOHANNESBURG — South Africans along with former U.S. President Barack Obama were marking the centennial of anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela’s birth on Wednesday with acts of charity in a country still struggling with deep economic inequality 24 years after the end of white minority rule.
Obama met with young leaders from around Africa to mark the anniversary, a day after he delivered a spirited speech in Johannesburg about Mandela’s legacy of tolerance and criticized President Donald Trump and his policies without mentioning him by name. An enthusiastic crowd of 14,000 gave Obama a standing ovation for his address, the highest-profile one since he left office.
[...]
South Africans and others around the world marked the July 18, 1918 birth of Mandela with clinic openings, blanket handouts and other charitable acts. In Cape Town, numbers were painted on homes in one of the sprawling slums to help health workers locate people living with HIV and tuberculosis.
But South Africans must do more to fight for Mandela’s values daily instead of engaging in symbolic gestures on his birthday, main opposition leader Mmusi Maimane with the Democratic Alliance said, adding that South Africa’s “failed education is part of a system that locks black children out of opportunity.”
After 27 years in prison in South Africa, Mandela was released in 1990 and became the country’s first black president four years later. He died in 2013 at the age of 95.
Events have been planned throughout the year for the 100th anniversary of his birth, including a large concert in December in South Africa that will be headlined by Beyonce and Jay-Z and hosted by Oprah Winfrey and others.
In a video message, former South African archbishop Desmond Tutu said Mandela reflected the best of humanity.
“Good leaders make allowance for the fact that even they can be wrong, and they know when and how to say sorry. Madiba had this quality in abundance,” said Tutu, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end apartheid and reconcile South Africans.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a separate statement called Mandela a towering advocate for equality and justice.
“Nelson Mandela was held captive for many years. But he never became a prisoner of his past,” Guterres said. “Rarely has one person in history done so much to stir people’s dreams and move them to action.”
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Excerpt #2:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandela_Day
"Nelson Mandela International Day (or Mandela Day) is an annual international day in honour of Nelson Mandela, celebrated each year on 18 July, Mandela's birthday.[1] The day was officially declared by the United Nations in November 2009,[2] with the first UN Mandela Day held on 18 July 2010. However, other groups began celebrating Mandela Day on 18 July 2009.
On 27 April 2009, the 46664 concerts and the Nelson Mandela Foundation invited the global community to join them in support of an official Mandela Day. Mandela Day is not meant as a public holiday, but as a day to honour the legacy of Nelson Mandela, South Africa's former President, and his values, through volunteering and community service.[1][3]
Mandela Day is a global call to action that celebrates the idea that each individual has the power to transform the world, the ability to make an impact.
The Mandela Day campaign message is:
"Nelson Mandela has fought for social justice for 67 years. We're asking you to start with 67 minutes."[4]
"We would be honoured if such a day can serve to bring together people around the world to fight poverty and promote peace, reconciliation and cultural diversity," according to a statement issued on Mandela's behalf.[5]
To mark the first global celebration of Mandela Day on 18 July 2009, Mandela's 91st birthday, a series of educational, art exhibit, fund-raising and volunteer events leading up to a concert at Radio City Music Hall on 18 July were organised by the 46664 concerts and the Nelson Mandela Foundation.[4] In November 2009, the United Nations General Assembly formally declared 18 July to be "Nelson Mandela International Day".[6]"
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Excerpt #3:
From http://weresoinspired.com/top-ten-inspiring-nelson-mandela-quotes/#.W0_3ptJKi70 Top Ten Inspiring Nelson Mandela Quotes
Posted in Philanthropy
“The Mandela Day campaign message is simple: Mr Mandela gave 67 years of his life fighting for the rights of humanity. All we are asking is that everyone gives 67 minutes of their time, whether it’s supporting your chosen charity or serving your local community.
Mandela Day is a call to action for individuals – for people everywhere – to take responsibility for changing the world into a better place, one small step at a time, just as Mr Mandela did.”
Get more information about Nelson Mandela International Day at Mandeladay.com
In honor of his birthday here is our top ten list of Inspirational Nelson Mandela quotes:
1. “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
2. “If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.”
3. “As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
4. “There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”
5. “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”
6. “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”
7. “For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”
8. “A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.”
9. “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
10. “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
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SHOWCASE VIDEOS
Example #1: Simple Minds * Mandela Day *
Daniela Scarel, Published on Dec 7, 2013
In honour of Nelson Mandela (Mvezo, 18 luglio 1918 -- Johannesburg, 5 dicembre 2013).
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Click https://genius.com/Simple-minds-mandela-day-lyrics for lyrics for this song.
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Example #2: Botlhale Boikanyo's Poem at the Mandela Day Gala Celebration
Legacy of Hope, Published on Jun 2, 2014
Gotham Hall NYC; July 18, 2013
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This poem is given as captions within this video.
Here's information about this young poetess:
From https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/botlhale-boikanyo.html
"About Botlhale Boikanyo
BIRTHDAY
May 23, 2001
BIRTHPLACE
Mahikeng, South Africa
Prodigal poet who first rose to fame in 2012 winning South Africa's Got Talent at the age of thirteen.
Before Fame
She began reading and writing poetry at the age of six. She would eventually go on to perform poetry at schools, churches, and other events.
Trivia
In 2014, she released an original poetry album Spoken Word & Music. It would earn her a South African Music Award for Best Traditional Album.
Family Life
Hailing from Mahikeng, North West, she inherited much of her love of poetry from her mother. Her parents are Mumsy and Lebone Boikanyo.
Associated With
Both she and Henno William are stars who rose to fame competing on South Africa's Got Talent.
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Example #3: UPDATE: Nelson Mandela International Day celebrations in Mvezo
SABC Digital News, Published on Jul 18, 2018
President Cyril Ramaphosa is taking part in a series of activities at the Mvezo in the Eastern Cape, the birth place of international statesman Nelson Mandela.
These include the handing over of blankets to elderly people, bicycles to learners, unveiling of a sanitary towel project along with Miss World.
The Mvezo Centenary Celebrations organised by the Royal House of Mandela in partnership with the Universal Peace Federation aim to bring together people from all walks of life, current and former Heads of State to honour Mandela's legacy.
The official ceremony and banquet will start in the afternoon with speeches by former presidents while President Ramaphosa will give a keynote address.
We cross to our reporter, Iviwe Poti, for more.
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Example #4: Nelson Mandela Day: Former president remembered
Sky News, Published on Jul 18, 2018
On the 100th anniversary of his birth, Nelson Mandela is remembered by the drivers, cooks and bodyguards who spent time with him.
Sky News' Africa Correspondent John Sparks went to meet some of those who worked closely with the former president of post-apartheid South Africa.
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