NEW YORK – Dozens of big-name performers and actors gathered at a major charity concert in New York late on Saturday to pay tribute to iconic anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela on his 91st birthday.
Gloria Gaynor kicked off the gala at the majestic Radio City Music Hall, in the heart of Manhattan, with a rousing performance of her 1978 disco hit I Will Survive. Celebrities on the performance list included Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and the first lady of France, Carla Bruni- Sarkozy. Hollywood stars that support the Mandela Foundation charity at the event included actors Forest Whitaker, Morgan Freeman, Whoopi Goldberg and Matt Damon. The Mandela Day gala crowns a week of worldwide celebrations honouring the legendary rights activist, who battled apartheid before becoming South Africa’s first black president from 1994 to 1999.
Organisers hope that Mandela Day will become an event observed around the world paying tribute to the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize winner’s accomplishments. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon paid homage to Mandela. – Sapa-AFP MORE ARTICLES ON MANDELA DAY
Amandine Ambregni
