LIVERPOOL CHARITABLE organisation Mandela8 is marking Mandela Day this year by encouraging the public to take part in a whole week of activities aimed at promoting community cohesion and highlighting those who have been affected by the ongoing pandemic.
The group behind the new Nelson Mandela memorial in Princes Park had originally planned for a visit from Mandela’s family to mark its opening this July, but plans had to be put on hold due to both construction work and travel being so adversely affected by the lockdown.
2020 has been a year of significant world events so far and Mandela8 has been truly moved by the country’s response to Covid-19 and the murder of George Floyd.
Sonia Bassey, Chair of Mandela8
Adapting to the country’s current situation, the charity decided they would instead use the week – commencing July 13 – to recognise not only the pain and suffering that local communities are going through but also provide a space for organisations to recognise the work their staff and volunteers have done to help people during Covid-19.
Public
Amongst the suggested activities for the public to get involved in are calls for community choirs to entertain residents in lockdown (whilst engaging in social distancing) as well as litter picking and planting trees.
Participants are encouraged to spend 67 minutes of their day taking part in their chosen act of kindness – one minute for every year of Mandela’s public service – as part of this #My67Minutes campaign, sponsored by Torus Foundation.
A special memorial section of the Mandela8 website will also be reserved for submissions from the general public, allowing them to post tributes and photos of loved ones who have been lost during the pandemic.
Chair of Mandela8, Sonia Bassey, said: “2020 has been a year of significant world events so far and Mandela8 has been truly moved by the country’s response to Covid-19 and the murder of George Floyd; an atrocity that has shown us all around the world that in many ways we still live in an Apartheid state. This also reinforces the need for us all to celebrate each other for our differences and contributions we all bring to society.”
Reflect
“The week will also be a chance to reflect on current affairs, the rising tensions and the impact of racial hatred on our lives and enable people to celebrate the positive contribution black people and people from other cultures around the world bring to society, and how we must work together to bring about lasting change and healing.
“Aptly, Nelson Mandela himself was in lockdown for 27 years, and came out of it to ask for peace and reconciliation; our programme this year is one of remembrance, recognition, hope and healing.”
Kate Shone, Managing Director of Torus Foundation, said: “Torus Foundation are really pleased that Mandela8 have expanded their My67Minutes programme this year and we’re really proud to be the campaign’s main sponsor. This pandemic has had a huge impact on us all and we hope that the people of Liverpool and the wider community will join Mandela8 to remember their loved ones and thank those who have worked tirelessly during these unprecedented times.”
“This pandemic has had a huge impact on us all and we hope that the people of Liverpool and the wider community will join Mandela8 to remember their loved ones and thank those who have worked tirelessly during these unprecedented times.”
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The only REASON President Nelson Mandela is regarded as a saint by the elite caucasian global leaders; and their agents in public office around the world are because Mandela allowed the elites to keep their profit and ownership of South Africa’s gold-mining sector. This, whilst little has been done to provide tapped water to the residents of Soweto.
Mandela even ignored the 1956 Freedom Charter demand to use the resources of South Africa for all the people of South Africa.
This level of betrayal by President Nelson Mandela is not worthy of praise and celebration.
The reason the apartheid South African State killed Steve Biko was that he could not be bribed to betray his native African people.
Let us celebrate the short life of Steve Biko instead of President Nelson Mandela; whose policies continue to hurt the African people of South Africa.
Mandela ultimately was to politically perpetuate precedent in what it means to be white has consequences about who is not.
subjugation of the deprived – begs the question – BLACK LIVE MATTER – has become a fashionable statement of a throwaway media society – look at me too – becomes the media headlines, the intended effect in hijacking in any rewriting to whitewashing history, the agenda.