Happy Birthday Madiba!

An venerable hero of South Africa turns 92 years old today. Born in 1918 in Umtata, Nelson Mandela grew into politics and his anti-apartheid activites earned him a severe jail sentence. Upon his release in 1990 after 27 years in prison, Mandela made a speech to the nation, saying:

I stand here before you not as a prophet but as a humble servant of you, the people. Your tireless and heroic sacrifices have made it possible for me to be here today. I therefore place the remaining years of my life in your hands.

In 1993 Mandela received the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts at peace and reconciliation and in 1994, South African went from apartheid to majority rule with Mandela serving as president of the country for five years.

Today is Mandela Day. Not only do we celebrate the life and spirit of a hero to this country, but also the potential that people have to make a change in this world.

Happy Birthday Madiba! We wish you all the best for the future. I’m not so good with words so I decided to use my equally mediocre Photoshop skills to make a poster of the great man, inspired by Shepard Fairey’s Obama “Hope” poster. The portrait of Madiba was taken by Swedish photographer Hans Gedda.