Today we are celebrating greatness, it’s Nelson Mandela International Day – Nelson Mandela would have been 96 years old today.
The UN General Assembly unanimously approved this day back in 2009. It was created as a way to honour Mandela and inspire others to carry on his efforts to “take responsibility for making the world a better place, one small step at a time,”.
In Johannesburg people are marking today with charitable acts in honor of the former president. Organizers have urged people to perform acts of charity for 67 minutes, symbolizing Mandela’s 67 years of public service. People are picking up litter, cooking at homes for the elderly and donating food, blankets and other basics to the poor.
Mandela died at 95 years of age on December 5, 2013, so this is the first time the day has been celebrated without Mandela. He was respected around the world for fighting minority rule in South Africa. After spending 27 years in prison he was released in 1990 by Mr De Klerk, South Africa’s last white ruler. He then went on to become the country’s first black president in 1994, a position he held until he stepped down in 1999.
USA today have a great timeline of Nelson Mandela’s life.
In honour of Mandela’s birthday we have put together a musical tribute.
Eric Bibb – Mandela is free
Eric Bibb is an American-born acoustic blues singer-songwriter. He moved to Europe in 1970 and currently lives in Helsinki, Finland. Eric is a great guitar player and has a rich and soulful voice. His tribute to Mandela is soulful and inspiring. “Courage and Vision cannot be in prison”.
Hugh Masekela Bring Back Nelson Mandela
Hugh Ramopolo Masekela is a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, and singer. In 1987, this was a huge hit for Hugh Masekela, it became an anthem for the movement to free Nelson Mandela. At that time, the mere mention of the name ‘Mandela’ meant the song would be banned in his home country.
Hugh continues Mandela’s great work and is involved in several social initiatives. He serves as a director on the board of The Lunchbox Fund, a non-profit organization that provides a daily meal to students of township schools in Soweto.
Jive Soweto (El Rey David) Sipho Mabuse
Mandela loved music and dance and used it to unite people. South African music mpaqanda music (soul stew, zulu jive) is one of the most joyful in the world. It’s a testimony to the enduring nature of the human spirit that the most joyful music should come out of a country that has been beset with hatred, injustice & prejudice.
African Hymn – Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Choir, ZA
The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) choir has 55 members made up of students and alumni, all from different walks of life. Since its inception in 1994 the choir has gained a reputation for its unique ability to successfully interpret both Western and African repertoire.
Freshlyground – Doo Be Doo
Freshlyground is a South African Afro-fusion band, formed in Cape Town in 2002. The band members come from South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Their musical style is a harmony of traditional South African music (such as kwela and African folk music) with blues, jazz and a bit of indie rock. Doo Be Doo comes from their very successful album Nomvula, released in 2004.
The initial success of the album was largely due to the feel-good ‘Doo Be Doo’, which enjoyed significant play on local radio.
The Specials – Nelson Mandela
Jerry Dammers: how I made Free Nelson Mandela: “The song said what I wanted it to say very clearly. At the time, there was a huge amount of opposition and propaganda directed against Mandela. Margaret Thatcher had described his party, the African National Congress, as a “terrorist organisation”. But in the days just after punk, record companies would never have refused to release something on the grounds it might be controversial. At the time, there were these two enormously influential record pluggers called Ferret’n’Spanner. They were big Specials fans and pushed the track at radio stations. If they hadn’t liked it, I don’t know if it would have been played on Radio 1……The concert at Wembley to celebrate his freedom was amazing. He went from being in prison to being mobbed. When he came on stage, the standing ovation lasted 10 minutes.”
Read the full interview with Jerry Dammers in the Guardian.
Miriam Makeba – Pata Pata
This beautiful track was written by fellow southern African artist Dorothy Masuka and first released by Miriam Makeba in 1957 when she still lived in South Africa. It was released in the US in 1967 on her studio album of the same name, it peaked at Nº12 on Billboard. The song was originally written and sung in the Xhosa language – the song’s title means “touch touch” in English.
Under African Skies – Paul Simon
Taken from Paul Simon’s 7th studio album, Graceland, which won the 1987 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Paul Simon uses a galloping 4/4 time signature to tell the story of two musicians and how their earliest memories shaped themselves into the music they create. “Under African Skies,” is also a documentary by filmmaker Joe Berlinger made for the 25th anniversary of the Graceland album.
So happy birthday, Madiba. We will hold on to your memory, and try to live up to your legacy. Thank you!
Google have put together a wonderful doodle with lots of Mandela’s inspiring quotations: “No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion.”
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