Mandela Day falls on 18 of July 2009, Nelson Mandela’s 91st birthday, and has become a world-wide celebration of the great man’s life and legacy, as well as an opportunity for people to pledge, (via an Imprint) 67 minutes of their time to making the world a better place in some way, great or small. For more on this aspect of Mandela Day you are welcome to read our previous Mandela Day blog post.
But Mandela Day is Madiba's birthday - and what is a birthday party without great music? No doubt there are numerous Mandela Day events being planned for this Saturday, but the one in Madison Sqaure is sure to make the biggest splash. Which is why it’s so great that our lekker local bands and artists are in the line up.
SA Music is represented by the following awesome acts (among others):
(Image: Alberto F. Creative Commons License)
They’ll be sharing the limelight with legends such as Stevie Wonder, Gloria Gaynor, Cyndi Lauper, Aretha Franklin and Dave Stewart, as well as the likes of Will.I.Am, Alicia Keys, T-Pain, TLC, Josh Groban and Queen Latifa.
The VIP list includes Whoopi Goldberg (the guest of honour), Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, Forest Whitaker, Susan Sarandon and other stars of the big screen.
Not bad company to be keeping for our local musos – and they’ll have the chance to wow the New York crowds with a diverse range of South Africa’s finest current music and spread the word that we create some of the finest, funkiest tunes in the world.
Join the Party!
If you're going to be in New York, you can get tickets for the ‘46664 - Mandela Day Celebration’, priced from $75-$500. Tickets are available at http://www.ticketmaster.com
If you're not lucky enough to be attending in person, you can view the free live stream by visiting www.livestream.com/mandeladaytv
