On July 18, South Africa’s former president Nelson Mandela turned 91, and across the world, people celebrated his life and legacy during the first ever “Mandela Day.” The Nelson Mandela Foundation, along with Mandela’s other charities and initiatives, have proposed making Mandela’s birthday an annual celebration of his ideals and vision. Mandela and his supporters hope that Mandela day, which he describes as “not a holiday, but a day dedicated to service,” will be a global call to action to show that each individual has the power to influence the world.

After championing the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, Mandela spent 27 years in jail as prisoner #46664, which is now the name of his anti-HIV/AIDS charity. He was released in 1990 and elected president of the African National Congress (ANC) in 1991, before being elected the first ever black president of South Africa in 1994. In 1999, after just one term as president, Mandela stepped down. However, his work would not end there, Mandela went on to set up three foundations in his name, The Nelson Mandela Foundation, The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, and the Mandela-Rhodes Foundation, which promotes exceptional leadership capacity in Africa. In 2002, Mandela also launched the earlier mentioned 46664 Campaign, a South-African based, independent, non-profit entity owned by the Nelson Mandela Foundation which aims to raise awareness and inspire individual and collective action in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Mandela has also made considerable efforts to inspire youth. Through 46664, Mandela found entertainment to be a powerful engagement tool and now, the 46664 Campaign sponsors global events that use sports, music, and celebrities to connect with youth and inspire community outreach campaigns. He also launched the African National Congress Youth League with two other ANC members in 1944.

Last Saturday, Mandela day was celebrated in numerous cities across the globe, from New York to Cape Town. In Radio City Music Hall in New York, international artists and celebrities, including Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, and Morgan Freeman, gathered to pay tribute to the global activist. Mandela was unable to travel for health reasons, and instead celebrated at his home in Johannesburg, South Africa. Mandela day asked that citizens devote just 67 minutes of their day – to match Mandela’s 67 years of service – to make their “imprint” on the world. “Our hope is to inspire people around the globe to embrace their individual power to make an imprint and help change the world around them for the better,” says the official Mandela Day website, telling citizens that, “We must transform discourse into action. We have work to do.”

-Pooja Gupta