Nelson Mandela celebrated his 94th birthday today surrounded by his family in his home village of Qunu. The celebration consisted of a birthday cake and his favorite dish of tripe with samp which is coarsely ground cornmeal.
Schoolchildren sang ‘Happy Birthday Madiba’, which is his clan name and millions of South Africans donated 67 minutes of their time to public service, one minute for each of the years he dedicated his life to service.
People from all over the world gave their personal birthday wishes for Mandela who spent 27 years in prison under the apartheid regime and emerged to become president in the country’s first democratic elections in 1994.
Bill Clinton and his daughter Chelsea visited Mandela on Tuesday and the Obama’s sent their birthday wishes saying:
On behalf of the people of the United States, we would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to Nelson Mandela on the occasion of his 94th birthday and the fourth annual Nelson Mandela International Day.
By any measure Nelson Mandela has changed the arc of history, transforming his country, continent, and the world
He is truly and inspiration and we wish him well!
