Cuba to Commemorate South African Leader Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela will be honored on Wednesday, February 12, at 10:00 a.m. in the Circulating Hall of the José Martí National Library of Cuba, marking 35 years since his release from prison.

The event, open to the public, is organized by the Cerro Philatelic Circle in collaboration with the host institution. It will commemorate Mandela’s historic liberation on February 11, 1990.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, in Mvezo, a small village in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province. In his homeland, he was affectionately known as Madiba, an honorary title bestowed by the elders of his ethnic group.

A staunch opponent of apartheid, Mandela was arrested in 1962 and later sentenced to life in prison on charges of sabotage and other offenses. After 27 years behind bars, he was freed and went on to lead the African National Congress (ANC), securing a landmark victory in South Africa’s first democratic elections in 1994. He served as the country’s first Black president until 1999.

Mandela received over 250 international awards and honors, including the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize.

A close friend of Cuba and Fidel Castro, he visited the island in 1991.

Nelson Mandela passed away on December 5, 2013, in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Photo: Michel Clement, Daniel Janin/AFP / Unesco

Translated by Luis E. Amador Dominguez