Mandela turns 90

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Read Mandela's biography

By Mike Cohen

July 18 (Bloomberg) -- Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first black president, celebrated his 90th birthday today, hosting a private party for family members and friends at Qunu, near his birthplace in the Eastern Cape province.

Mandela spent 27 years in prison for seeking to overthrow the apartheid state and emerged to become president after the nation's first all-race elections in 1994. Since retiring in 1999, he has become increasingly frail and has scaled back his public appearances, spending some time raising funds for charities he established.

``Your life continues to inspire all of us to work for a better world, freed from the strangulation of poverty, hunger and oppression,'' South Africa's cabinet said in an e-mailed statement.

Today's party is one of a series of events organized to celebrate Mandela' birthday and bolster his philanthropic efforts. On June 27 he attended a concert in London's Hyde Park, where the line-up featured Will Smith, Amy Winehouse and Annie Lennox. A similar event is scheduled to take place in Rio de Janeiro on Nov. 30.

An annual lecture, delivered this year by Liberia's President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, was delivered in his honor in Kliptown, Soweto on July 12. The event was held near the site where the African National Congress adopted the Freedom Charter, which demanded a universal franchise and equal rights for all the country's people, in 1955.

``I would like to pay tribute to you, a man who paved the way for a new generation of leaders and emergence of democratization in Africa,'' she said in her speech. ``You have taught us that if one believes in compassion for humanity we can all make a difference.''

Newspaper Headlines

Johannesburg-based newspapers including the Star, the Citizen, the Mail & Guardian and the Times led with stories about Mandela's birthday with the Citizen showing the national rugby team, the Springboks, celebrating his birthday in Perth, Australia where they are on tour.

Mandela's foundation has organized exhibitions, book launches and lecturers in his honor, while stamps bearing his image have been printed and a commemorative coin minted. The ANC plans to hold a birthday rally for Mandela in Pretoria, the country's capital, on Aug. 2.

``Madiba has spent the greater part of his 90 years at the helm of the liberation movement, tirelessly and selflessly leading the people of this country in the pursuit of freedom,'' the party said, referring to Mandela by his clan name, in an e- mailed statement. ``He remains an inspirational leader whose moral stature is recognized and valued across the world.''

Convicted of Treason

Born on July 18, 1918, in the village of Mvezo, Mandela fled to Johannesburg to escape an arranged marriage. There he qualified as a lawyer and immersed himself in politics, joining the ANC in 1944. He was convicted of treason in June 1964 and sentenced to life imprisonment.

He was freed in February 1990 and four years later led the ANC to victory in elections. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.

Mandela served one five-year term before stepping down. His tenure was marked by efforts to unite a society scarred by centuries of racial conflict.

After retiring, Mandela sought to broker a cease-fire in a civil war in the central African nation of Burundi and campaigned against the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

A year ago, he announced the formation of a global think- tank called The Elders, which aims to help find solutions to conflicts and use its influence to attract donor aid. The group's other members include former U.S. president Jimmy Carter and Kofi Annan, former secretary-general of the United Nations.

"There is still too much discord, hatred, division, conflict and violence in our world,'' Mandela told a group including diplomats, church leaders and sportsmen on July 12, ahead of Johnson-Sirleaf's speech. ``A fundamental concern for others in our individual and community lives would go a long way in making the world the better place we so passionately dreamt of.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Mike Cohen in Cape Town at mcohen21@bloomberg.net.