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Mandela Day
Jul. 19th, 2012 16:05It was Mandela Day yesterday: the old man celebrated his 94th birthday. I had planned a post but couldn't find the photograph I wanted till late last night - lovely picture taken of him on Tuesday when Bill Clinton and Chelsea went to visit him and Graça in Qunu (Clinton also planted a tree - think it was at the clinic there - and dug a decent-sized hole *g*) Turns out I couldn't find a good quality crop with just Madiba, so I chose one taken earlier this year.
There's a growing tradition of doing 67 minutes of charitable work on Mandela Day, honouring his 67 years of public service by giving the gift of time somewhere it's needed, from feeding homeless people to reading to children in hospital to doing repairs on township schools. I haven't done mine yet, beyond sandwiches for some very confused street kids begging at the traffic lights, I need to decide what I can do in little chunks of time/activity maybe - stretch it out.
What I find the most awe-inspiring about Mandela is how he served as President for five years, refused a second term, stuck around a few more years to help with positive branding for the country, then went home to Qunu, a little village in the Eastern Cape, and famously said "Don't call me, I'll call you." Power has never turned or changed him.
Happy birthday, Tata Madiba.
There's a growing tradition of doing 67 minutes of charitable work on Mandela Day, honouring his 67 years of public service by giving the gift of time somewhere it's needed, from feeding homeless people to reading to children in hospital to doing repairs on township schools. I haven't done mine yet, beyond sandwiches for some very confused street kids begging at the traffic lights, I need to decide what I can do in little chunks of time/activity maybe - stretch it out.
What I find the most awe-inspiring about Mandela is how he served as President for five years, refused a second term, stuck around a few more years to help with positive branding for the country, then went home to Qunu, a little village in the Eastern Cape, and famously said "Don't call me, I'll call you." Power has never turned or changed him.
Happy birthday, Tata Madiba.
