Today is South Africa's highest praised man's birthday. Happy 91st birthday to Mr. Nelson Mandela. Now unlike a US celebration, this iconic hero does not guarantee a paid holiday! On the contrary. Today was a day where Mandela has asked for 67 minutes of your time. 67 minutes today should have been dedicated to some charitable service. Even if it was from babysitting, to having a bake sale or even knitting blankets for the poor, 67 minutes should be devoted to a good cause. Kraft today had a bake sale. Baked goods which were savory and sweet were made by the confections and the chocolate team and sold. All profits went to an oorphanage and all left over baked goods along with Cadbury chocolate found its way to the kids as well :-)
67 minutes of charity work is based off of the 67 dedicated years Mandela has served towards South Africa. He kindly asks all South Africans "Rich or Poor, black or white" that 67 minutes of work today might reflect a lifetime of improvements and happiness. Some people have taken the 67 minutes to the extreme. On a local radio show, the crew decided to volunteer for charity work at a local inner city school. However when they got there, they saw the extreme improvements, equipment, attention, and care that the building needed so they made it a year long project. The first order of business, fix the broken windows, set up a security alarm system so the laptops and gym equipment do not get stolen anymore, and paint the outside of the building. The year long project will also include after school programs, a new futball field (soccer for my US friends) a new garden and a program to attract more volunteer teachers. The influence this man has on this nation is incredible. 88% of the South African and World population based on numerous poles, place Nelson Mandela as the worlds most significant leader. Closely behind him....Martin Luther King Jr and Obama.
So once again, Happy Birthday Mandela. Enjoy your favorite dish tonight (tripe) and have a long and healthy life. If you don't know too much about Nelson Mandela, I would suggest you read some articles on the man who never backed down, fought for the people and the land he loved so much.
My only issue is his favorite dish. . tripe?!
ReplyDeleteOn the plane ride out of Johannesburg to New York, the airline passed around a birthday card for Mandela for people to sign. I think he's a great man who's had an extremely positive influence on South Africa and the world, but this was just a bit too pointless, manipulative and kitschy for me, so I didn't sign. When I get back to South Africa I'll do a belated Mandela Day thing that I've been setting up for a while now.
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