CNN Central News & Network–ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: Nelson Mandela International Day is observed every year on July 18 to celebrate the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela, the first black president of South Africa. Mandela became the first democratically elected president of the country on May 10, 1994, and he is referred to as the ‘Father of the Nation’ in South Africa.
Throughout his life, Mandela fought for freedom and justice leading him to his imprisonment for 27 years. In 1964, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for planning to overthrow South Africa’s apartheid regime. Mandela was sent to Robben Island where he spent 18 years of his 27 years imprisonment. He was released in 1990 and tirelessly worked to end racism in the nation.
