Mandela Day: 67 Minutes for the Man Who Gave 67 Years

Today, 18 July, is the birthday of Nelson Mandela, and across the world it is marked as Nelson Mandela International Day. People are invited to do something simple: give 67 minutes of their time to help others — one minute for each of the 67 years that Mandela spent in public service, fighting for justice and freedom. In South Africa, schoolchildren clean parks, volunteers paint classrooms, companies send staff to help in communities, and people knit blankets and cook meals for those in need.

A life of struggle

Rolihlahla Mandela was born on 18 July 1918 in Mvezo, a village in the Eastern Cape, into the royal family of the Thembu people, who speak isiXhosa. His first name is often explained as meaning "pulling the branch of a tree" — or, more playfully, "troublemaker." A teacher at his school gave him the English name Nelson.

He studied law and, in Johannesburg in the 1940s, joined the African National Congress (ANC), helping found its Youth League. With his partner Oliver Tambo, he opened South Africa's first Black-owned law firm.

After the apartheid government banned the ANC in 1960, following the Sharpeville massacre, Mandela helped launch its armed wing, uMkhonto we Sizwe. He was arrested in 1962, and in the Rivonia Trial of 1963–64 he was sentenced to life imprisonment. In his famous statement from the dock, he declared that he had cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society, an ideal for which he was prepared to die.

Twenty-seven years

Mandela spent 27 years in prison, 18 of them on Robben Island, where he did hard labour in a lime quarry and lived in a tiny cell. He became the world's most famous political prisoner, and the international campaign to "Free Nelson Mandela" grew into a global movement.

On 11 February 1990, he walked out of Victor Verster Prison, holding the hand of his then-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, as millions watched on television.

President and reconciler

Mandela led the ANC through difficult negotiations with the government of F.W. de Klerk; the two men shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. After the first democratic election in April 1994, described in our story on Freedom Day, he became South Africa's first democratically elected president.

As president from 1994 to 1999, he made reconciliation a priority, reaching out to former enemies and white South Africans fearful of the future. Famous gestures — such as wearing the Springbok rugby jersey at the 1995 Rugby World Cup final — became symbols of a new, united nation. He established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and served only one term, stepping down voluntarily.

Mandela Day

After leaving office, Mandela devoted himself to causes such as children's welfare, education and the fight against HIV/AIDS. In 2009, the United Nations General Assembly declared 18 July as Nelson Mandela International Day, in recognition of his values and dedication to humanity. It was first celebrated in 2010.

The idea behind Mandela Day is that everyone can make a difference — that the struggle for a better world is not only for leaders, but for ordinary people, in small, practical ways. The Nelson Mandela Foundation promotes themes each year, such as fighting poverty, food security and education.

Mandela died on 5 December 2013, at the age of 95. His death was mourned around the world.

Why it matters

Nelson Mandela's life is one of the great stories of the 20th century: a man who gave up his freedom for his people, endured decades in prison, and emerged not seeking revenge but reconciliation. Mandela Day asks something modest of each of us — 67 minutes — but its message is large: that each person has the ability, and the responsibility, to change the world for the better.

Further reading

• United Nations — Nelson Mandela International Day
• Nelson Mandela Foundation
• Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom (Little, Brown, 1994)