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So the former president of South Africa celebrates his birthday with a concert for chavs in Hyde Park. Fair play to him an all but I didn't see why a concert in London was an appropriate event for the celebration of his birth. A quick check of the net revealed why.
On June 11 1988 there was a concert held at Wembley Stadium to celebrate Nelson's 70th, a birthday that would have been a little less glamorous due to his imprisonment for crimes committed in his fight against apartheid. (His 27 year sentence ended almost two years later).
The concert was staged to raise awareness of one man's plight and encourage the world to pressure the South African government to end the evils of apartheid and to "Free Mandela", while the concert was not shown in South Africa it was shown in 60 countries to an audience of 600 million along with the 72,00 at the event itself.
Most would agree that the regime in South Africa needed to be overthrown and while one man's freedom fighter is another man's terrorist I find it hard to think anything negative about the kindly old gent we see now.
On June 11 1988 there was a concert held at Wembley Stadium to celebrate Nelson's 70th, a birthday that would have been a little less glamorous due to his imprisonment for crimes committed in his fight against apartheid. (His 27 year sentence ended almost two years later).
The concert was staged to raise awareness of one man's plight and encourage the world to pressure the South African government to end the evils of apartheid and to "Free Mandela", while the concert was not shown in South Africa it was shown in 60 countries to an audience of 600 million along with the 72,00 at the event itself.
Most would agree that the regime in South Africa needed to be overthrown and while one man's freedom fighter is another man's terrorist I find it hard to think anything negative about the kindly old gent we see now.
Incidentally his birthday is actually 18 July 1918.
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