Nelson Mandela International Day
- July 18 marks the birth anniversary of the former South African president Nelson Mandela
- The day is observed worldwide as Nelson Mandela International Day.
- United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) designated the day to honour his accomplishments to the spirit of peace and freedom
About the day:
- The day was first celebrated on July 18, 2010, after the United Nations officially declared the day as Nelson Mandela International Day in November 2009.
- UNGA recognised Mandela’s values and devotion to the service of humanity in the following areas:
- Conflict resolution,
- Race relations,
- Promotion and protection of human rights,
- Reconciliation,
- Gender equality, and
- Rights of children and other vulnerable groups
- Fight against poverty, and
- development of social justice.
- Theme for 2021: “One Hand Can Feed Another
Nelson Mandela
- Born into the Xhosa royal family in the village of Qunu, Transkei, South Africa on July 18, 1918
- He spent 27 years of his life in prison for his assiduous efforts in politics and activism to fulfil his lifelong dream of a free and fair society.
- The National Party of South Africa that was in power during the late 1940s followed a policy of Apartheid which referred to the practice of separateness and racial segregation.
- Mandela's life was dedicated to the fulfilment of this ideal; to achieve for the African people, a society that was not bound by the shackles of racism and discrimination.
- This, in his opinion, could have only been realized with the establishment of a constitutional democracy that would accommodate the plural society of South Africa with its diversity of races, languages, and opinions in a harmonious setting.
- He became the first Black President of South Africa four years after leaving prison and was sworn in on May 10 1994.
- Mandela was highly inspired by Gandhi’s doctrine of non-violence and upheld Gandhian values in great esteem.
- Both leaders- Gandhi and Mandela were similar in their struggle against colonial oppression and are revered as “Fathers of the Nation” respectively for India and South Africa.
- Mandela is recognized as one of the greatest symbols of peace and social justice.
- He served as South Africa’s president from 1994 until 1999.
- Even after he stepped down in 1999 after serving one term as President, he continued to impact several lives through his acts of benevolence.
- He set up the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund in 1995, established the Nelson Mandela Foundation in 1999, and The Mandela Rhodes Foundation in 2003.
- He used to donate one-third of his salary as president to the Nelson Mandela Children’s fund every month.
- In 2014, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) announced the ‘Nelson Mandela Prize’ for recognising commendable achievements of those who dedicated their lives to the service of humanity.