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 On
July 18, the world celebrated the first Nelson
Mandela International Day. It was also the former South African President’s
92th birthday. Nelson Mandela International Day, which was declared
by the United Nations, will be held annually to pay a tribute to Mr. Mandela,
who worked hard to make the world a
peaceful place.
Born on July 18, 1918 in
South Africa, Nelson Mandela was the President of South Africa from
1994 to 1999. He was a great leader who loved his people
as well as the world. He also fought for human rights and tried hard
to bring equality between races. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993
for his hard work.
Mr. Mandela is still respected by many people, not only in South Africa,
but also in many countries all over the world. In order to celebrate the
first Nelson Mandela International Day, the UN held a variety of special activities
around the world from Zambia in Africa to Kazakhstan in Central Asia.
On that day, people in South Africa and abroad committed themselves
to devoting 67 minutes of their time to doing community service to mark the number of years
Mr. Mandela has spent in politics. For example, 30
people undertook a road trip from Johannesburg to Cape Town in South
Africa, engaging in community projects along the way such as building
a fence at an AIDS center in
a poor town. Famous Hollywood actor Morgan Freeman also
took part in the meaningful event.
 In Spain,
people held a special charity event in Madrid to
celebrate the day. In Vienna, many people played the vuvuzela to celebrate
Mr. Mandela’s 92nd birthday. People in Sudan held a football tournament called a “Football for Peace”
and the winning team was awarded the Nelson Mandela
Cup.
More special and meaningful events will be held next year on the second
Nelson Mandela International Day. Why don’t we also participate
in some charity events for 67 minutes to celebrate the day? |
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