Nelson Mandela's July 18 birthday is annual cause for celebration in South Africa and draws attention from his many local and international admirers.
This year, the partying also has a serious side, with the launch tomorrow - Mandela's 89th birthday - of a humanitarian campaign to be led by Mandela, former US President Jimmy Carter, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and other "elders" of the global village.
"This group of international leaders will share how they intend to work together to contribute their wisdom, independent leadership and integrity in addressing some of the world's toughest problems," organizers said in a statement.
The group, with a full roster to be announced tomorrow, stems from an idea by British entrepreneur Richard Branson and musician Peter Gabriel to create a world council of elders to tackle issues such as conflict, AIDS and global warming.
Branson and Gabriel, who founded an international human rights organization and championed the anti-apartheid cause, were expected to attend the launch, part of a week of festivities.
A children's party that has become an annual fixture wraps things up on July 24. Before that, events will feature former US President Bill Clinton and soccer legend, Pele who will play in a special star-studded match to honor Mandela.
Mandela was imprisoned for nearly three decades for his fight against apartheid. He was released in 1990 to lead negotiations to end decades of racist white rule and elected president in South Africa's first free elections in 1994. He left office in 1999, but has continued to take a leading role in the fight against poverty, illiteracy and AIDS in Africa.
Clinton will open an exhibition on Thursday that focuses on the late Chief Albert Luthuli, an anti-apartheid campaigner who won the 1960 Nobel Peace Prize, and Mandela, who was given the honor in 1993.
Luthuli was the leader of the now-governing African National Congress when the organization decided to embark on an armed struggle against the racist apartheid regime. Mandela was the ANC's leader three decades years later as it negotiated a peace settlement with the nationalist government.
On Sunday, Annan will deliver the annual Nelson Mandela Lecture. The first in the series was given by Clinton on July 19, 2003. Others who have delivered lectures include Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Kenyan environmentalist and 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai as well as South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki.
Veteran soccer player Pele and current star Samuel Eto'o of Cameroon head the list of the more than 50 past and present international players taking part in "90 Minutes for Mandela."
The match, to be played tomorrow in Cape Town, will pit Africa against the rest of the world. Proceeds are earmarked for social programs, including Mandela's campaign against AIDS.
FIFA organized a similar all-star match in 1999 to honor Mandela when he stepped down as South African president.
Source: China Daily/agencies
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