December 5 marks the ninth death anniversary of South Africa’s undisputed leader, Nelson Mandela. Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918 in the village of Embje in South Africa. He was jailed by the apartheid white-led government of South Africa at the time for his fight against apartheid. Of his 27 years in prison, 18 years were spent in South Africa’s infamous Robben Island prison.
The United Nations declared July 18 as Mandela Day in honor of this great leader who was born on July 18, 1918. 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.