2014 Nelson Mandela International Day (Aired Newstalk)

COMMEMORATING THE 2014 NELSON MANDELA INTERNATIONAL DAY, TODAY FRIDAY JULY 18

In the world over, just as everyone constantly prays to have peace , so do we pray for justice in all our endeavours. In the same vein, whosoever that is in any kind of bondage, either spiritual or physical, shall never have rest of mind until he regains freedom. This is to say that, every man is consistently striving towards the actualization of peace, justice, or freedom, as the case may be.

The above note has given us the insight that no man wishes to encounter any form of bitterness, on a daily basis. This is why the global community through the effort of the United Nations (UN), came up with the ongoing International Nelson Mandela Day.

The Nelson Mandela International day is an event organized by the United Nations Department of Public Information (UNDPI). The day which was endorsed by the UN General Assembly in 2009 is being celebrated annually and internationally on July 18 to mark Mandela’s birthday thereby creating awareness on the need for everyone to support selfless service to humanity which helps to uplift peace and justice and to free mankind from all sorts of bondages.

It is no longer news that the late Nelson Mandela, while on earth, gave sixty-seven (67) years of his life to the struggle for human rights and social justice. As a founding member of the then ruling democratic party – African National Congress (ANC), Mandela was arrested in 1962 and sentenced to life imprisonment. He spent twenty-seven (27) years in prison but remained unstoppable in leading strategic revolution against apartheid government.

Astonishingly, when Nelson Mandela was elected the President of South Africa in 1994, he did not call for vengeance or retribution against the whites, rather he led a sensitive reconciliation movement that amazed all the African as well as International politicians. Furthermore, he campaigned for peace, unity and love among South Africans irrespective of race or tribe. Because of the astonishing character of the late icon, the UN General Assembly in 2009 proclaimed the annual international Mandela Day.

So, as the world over commemorates the Nelson Mandela International Day today being Friday 18th July 2014, there’s need for collective support by all and sundry from all walks of life regardless of race, age, background or status. In view of this, the International Community is urging us today to devote at least sixty-seven (67) minutes of our time to helping others. By devoting 67 minutes of our time – one minute for every year of Nelson Mandela’s public service, people can make a small gesture of solidarity with humanity and a step towards a global moment for good.

Thus, take action, inspire change, and mobilize the human race to do more in order to build a peaceful, sustainable and equitable world. This is the best tribute we can pay to an extraordinary man who embodied the highest values of humanity.

Reportedly, UN staff around the world have made a difference through a variety of activities in the past, such as supplies to school children, preparing meals for the elderly ones, helping out in an orphanage, cleaning-up parks, and delivering computer literacy seminars and workshops. Also, in New York of the United States for instance, UN staff volunteered their time on 17 and 18 July 2013 to help rebuild homes that were destroyed by Hurricane Sandy.

You can also contribute your own quota to public service by individually or collectively indulging in any of the following humanitarian activities:

 Make a new friend; get to know someone from a different cultural background because it is only through mutual understanding we can rid our communities of intolerance and xenophobia.

 Read for someone who can’t; visit a local home for the orphans and the less-privileged.

 Help someone get a job; prepare a CV for them and as well help them acquire the required interview skills.

 Take a little time to have a chat with the terminally ill people and bring some sunshine into their respective lives.

 Get tested for HIV as well as other Sexually Transmitted Diseases, and encourage your partner, colleagues and friends to do so too.

 Donate blood, wheelchair, or cash to someone in need.

 And finally but not the least, buy a few blankets, or grab the ones you no longer use in your home and give them to someone in need.

Frankly, we all are expected to unanimously support this remarkable life-touching event globally recognized as Nelson Mandela International Day, because the life and time of the celebrity in question, Dr Nelson Madiba Mandela is no doubt worthy of emulation.



COMR. FRED DOC NWAOZOR

Public Affairs analyst & Social activist

_______________________________

+2348054719437