International Desk: Today, December 5, is the tenth death anniversary of the undisputed leader of South Africa, Nelson Mandela. Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, in the village of Embje in South Africa. He was imprisoned by the apartheid-led government of South Africa at the time for fighting apartheid. Of his 27 years in prison, 18 were spent in South Africa’s infamous Robben Island prison.
Nelson Mandela led the struggle to end apartheid and establish a multiracial democracy. In honor of this great leader, the United Nations declared his birthday on July 18 as Mandela Day.
The Nelson Mandela Award was launched by the United Nations in 2014 in recognition of special contributions to the protection of human rights. As a symbol of peace, Mandela was jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 with the government of W.D. Clark. Nelson Mandela breathed his last on the evening of December 5, 2013.
