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67 Minutes for Madiba – Nelson Mandela Day
Sunday 18 July we celebrate Nelson Mandela International Day, and our beloved Tata Madiba celebrates his 92nd birthday.
The celebration of Mandela Day aims to serve as a global call to action for people around the world to recognise their individual power to make a difference and help change the world around them for the better
Nelson Mandela spent 67 years of his life making the world a better place. The Nelson Mandela Day campaign asks each and every person, for only 67 minutes of that day, to do something good – for their family, for the community, for a friend or neighbour.
Mandela Day is not meant to be a public holiday but an annual event where people around the world are asked to spend 67 minutes of their time to do something, which makes a difference to the world around them. Because Madiba has always recognised that, we as individuals have the power to change the world for good.
Where Mandela Day Began
South African president Jacob Zuma first introduced the idea of Mandela Day in 2009. It became a nationwide campaign to get the public involved in charitable activities, also for 67 minutes on 18 July – the day Mandela turned 91. The number of minutes was significant because it represented the 67 years since the former president first started fighting for human rights and the abolition of apartheid.
Mandela Day 2009 – 46664 Concert New York
Although Mandela Day began as a South African initiative, the international community was involved with a launch at a glittering music concert in New York, where musicians such as Alicia Keys, Stevie Wonder, Wycliffe Jean, and French first lady Carla Bruni Sarkozy performed.
At this launch, via video streaming, UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon and US president Barack Obama endorsed the idea to make it a worldwide event.
46664 is Nelson Mandela’s global HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention campaign.
Nelson Mandela International Day
The United Nations declared 18 July Nelson Mandela International Day in recognition of the former South African president’s commitment to human rights, conflict resolution and reconciliation. Starting on Sunday, 18 July 2010, the day will be observed each year on Nelson Mandela’s birthday – and people across the world will be urged to dedicate 67 minutes of their time to uplift society in some way.
UN General Assembly paid tribute to Mandela in its 64th session in New York on 10 November 2009, adopting a draft resolution put forward by South African ambassador to the UN, Baso Sangqu. The resolution seeks to make the international community aware of Mandela’s humanitarian work. It also recognised Mandela's “leading role in and support for Africa's struggle for liberation and unity, and his outstanding contribution to the creation of a non-racial, non-sexist democratic South Africa.”
For more about Nelson Mandela's work, see the Mandela Foundation website.
