Today marks not only Nelson Mandela’s 95th birthday, but also the fourth Nelson Mandela International Day. The UN-sanctioned holiday pays tribute to the former South African president for the “67 years [he] devoted his life to the service of humanity – as a human rights lawyer, a prisoner of conscience, an international peacemaker and the first democratically elected president of a free South Africa.”
Mandela will spend his 95th birthday in a hospital in Pretoria, where he’s battling a lung infection in “critical but stable condition, but is responding to treatment.”
The Toronto event will take place from 1:00 p.m. — 6:00 p.m outdoors in Regent Park at Nelson Mandela Park Public School (South of 585 Dundas Street East, between River and Parliament Streets). The day will feature a variety of sports, musical, and dance activities open to the public, with a live stream applause ceremony via satellite from various cities around the globe occurring at 1:45 p.m.
————
Jeremy Schipper is an intern at Toronto Standard. You can follow him on Twitter at @jeromeoschipps.
For more, follow us on Twitter at @torontostandard, and subscribe to our newsletter.
