Mandela Day: 67 minutes for Madiba

Mandela Day: 67 minutes for Madiba



http://www.nelsonmandelaonline.net/

July 18th 2011 marked the 93rd birthday of South Africa’s first black president. I must say, this is one of the most highly celebrated birthdays in the world with the focus being on spreading peace and love around the world. This great initiative to merge the freedom fighter’s legacy and what he stood for was brought into light through the 46664 campaign in 2003 featuring the world’s best artists.

46664 represents Nelson Mandela’s prison number from when he was imprisoned at Roben Island in 1964. His prison number was 466 and together with the year of his imprisonment (1964) it formed 46664.

Since the introduction of the 46664 concert in 2003, Mandela’s birthday has been celebrated all over the world through this major event hosted on various continents such as George- Cape town, Madrid- Spain and Tromsø- Norway to mention a few.

So it is fare to assume that through the years people have come to associate the former South African president’s birthday with 46664. It is clear to many people why this number is very significant, where it originates from and what it stands for. There is no doubt about it that this is the most famous birthday in the world and I bet those sixteen year olds on the MTV show Sweet Sixteen wish they could have such a huge birthday party where the whole world is celebrating with them. I wish so too because I didn’t even have a clown at my sweet sixteen and there was nothing sweet about it (I had chicken pox).



www.whitehouse.gov/administration/president-obama

Enough about freaky clowns and all sorts of childhood illnesses. Back to my main point being Madiba's birthday. Recently the African freedom fighter turned 93 and this time around he chose to do it a bit differently to what we were already accustomed to. A call was sent out to the rest of the world to declare July 18th Nelson Mandela day and on that day we should dedicate 67 minutes of the day towards making the world a better place.

This is the greatest initiative to date after Barack Obama failed to uphold his promise to the American people to bring their troops back home. This is the greatest initiative after the world leaders failed to come up with a more realistic plan to fight global warming if it is what they call. But what is it with all these numbers? First it was 46664 and now we have 67. Is there any real significance to these numbers or do they mean exactly what they say they mean? This world has come across many freedom fighters over the years, but if my memory serves me well none of them have been celebrated as much as Mandela is being celebrated. The man has dedicated to him. The only other figure to have received so much praise to date is probably Jesus Christ of Nazareth because he also has a day which the whole world celebrates.

Like I said, this world has seen many leaders and many liberators but they are not celebrated as much. What is it about Mr. Mandela that differentiates him from the others that have taken the same path as him and have furthered the same course? What is it about Mr. Mandela that makes us praise him so much? What about people like Mother Teresa,Walter Sisulu or Mahatma Gandhi who got square in the heart of the Johannesburg CBD? What about all the world heroes that shared the same belief and longed to see the world as a better place? Don’t they deserve a day?

I know Oliver Tambo got himself an airport,not a municipality nor a day. When did this thing of dedicating days to individuals begin and who decides that?

Ask yourself this; “What makes me a great person and how can I use that to change the world?”