YA Eco Mysteries, Memoirs, Novels & Travel
Nelson Mandela Day and South African Apartheid Memoir
21/07/11 16:23 Filed in: Memoirs
We were delighted to have the opportunity to celebrate Mandela Day with exchange students from Johannesburg, South Africa at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.
Watching these young South Africans express their pride and joy through traditional dance and song inspired all to take action to help change the world for the better. For me, their exuberant performance evoked poignant memories of my childhood in South Africa described in my memoir, Behind the Walled Garden of Apartheid.
Nelson Mandela Day, celebrated each 18 July, the day of Mandela's birth, is an annual international day in honor of Nelson Mandela. It is not meant as a public holiday, but as a day to honor the legacy of Nelson Mandela, South Africa's former President, commemorating the struggle against apartheid, through 67 minutes of community service. Why 67 minutes? Because Nelson Mandela fought for social justice for 67 years.
Nelson Mandela Day, celebrated each 18 July, the day of Mandela's birth, is an annual international day in honor of Nelson Mandela. It is not meant as a public holiday, but as a day to honor the legacy of Nelson Mandela, South Africa's former President, commemorating the struggle against apartheid, through 67 minutes of community service. Why 67 minutes? Because Nelson Mandela fought for social justice for 67 years.