Nelson Mandela Day: Remembering the Gandhi of South Africa
South Africa’s first black president and a world leader for peace – Nelson Mandela’s legacy continues to be celebrated worldwide, with July 18 commemorated as Nelson Mandela Day every year.
To recognise Mandela’s contribution to peace and culture, the United Nation’s General Assembly in 2009 marked his birth anniversary as a day of international recognition. Affectionately called ‘Madiba’, Mandela was among the greatest heroes of history.
Born in 1918 into the Madiba clan of South Africa, Mandela closely identified with the ancestral annals of the freedom fighters and dreamt of making his own contribution to the freedom struggle of his people. He fought to end apartheid- a system of discrimination that separated people based on race.
In 1994, Mandela was inaugurated as the country’s first democratically elected president. While the great leader stepped down from the position in 1999, he continued to work with the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund set up in 1995.
The anti-apartheid leader spent nearly 27 years in prison for showing his relentless resistance against the colonialists and came out of prison in 1990. The leader was often called ‘Gandhi of South Africa’.
“It is said that no one truly knows a nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones,” once said the leader.
Nelson Mandela’s legacy lives on as a reminder that it’s possible to solve big challenges. I admired President Mandela for his courage to stand against apartheid and I came to know him personally for the fight against HIV/AIDs. pic.twitter.com/fKs32VFiRI
— Bill Gates (@BillGates) July 18, 2022
In 2015, the General Assembly decided to expand the scope of Mandela day by promoting humane conditions of imprisonment, treating prisoners as a part of society and valuing the work of prison staff as social service.
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The Assembly not only adopted the revised United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Prisoners but called them ‘Nelson Mandela Rules’ to honour the legacy of the world leader.
The day is a celebration of the 67-year-long fight of the South-African leader against racial discrimination and human rights abuses.
“Today and every day, let us honour Nelson Mandela’s legacy by taking action.
By together making our world more just, compassionate, prosperous, and sustainable for all.”— @antonioguterres‘ message for today’s #MandelaDay pic.twitter.com/eWXi09jJWb
— UN Geneva (@UNGeneva) July 18, 2022
Mandela was bestowed with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for his role as a global peacemaker.
In a tweet, UN General Secretary Antonio Guterres said: “Mandela showed that each and every one of us has the ability – and responsibility – to build a better future for all. We can all find inspiration in Madiba’s vision and work to make our world more just, compassionate, prosperous and sustainable.
Mandela also penned a legendary autobiography – A Long Walk to Freedom, parts of which were written by the leader while he was in prison.
