Wishing Madiba happy birthday in oh-so-many ways

Madiba Birthday Celebrations: Bizcommunityclick to enlarge

From South African Tourism, CNN International, Nando's and the South African Post Office to mainstream media SABC News, News24, Independent Newspapers, The Times, The Citizen, Mail & Guardian, 5FM, Primedia Broadcasting and social media Zoopy.com and Blueworld.co.za, everyone is taking the opportunity to wish our Madiba the happiest of birthdays and allow all of South Africa to add their wishes.

"South African Tourism thanks you for helping to put South Africa on the map as a beacon of hope, dignity and reconciliation for the world. We thank you, too, for inspiring people the world over to come and visit our country, to share our excitement in the political, natural and, above, all, profoundly human miracle that is South Africa," says Moeketsi Mosola, CEO of South African Tourism.

Madiba Birthday Celebrations: SA Tourismclick to enlarge

"We celebrate your birthday with you. We admire you for your dignity, humanity and your resolve to always be just, fair, honest and determined to live the exemplary life that a nation, and the world, aspires to. Happy birthday."

To wish Madiba happy birthday personally via South African Tourism, go to www.happybirthdaymandela.com.

TV initiatives

Madiba Birthday Celebrations: SABC Newsclick to enlarge

SABC News will broadcast a special and extended edition of Morning Live on SABC2 tomorrow from 6am to 9am. The 90th Birthday celebration programme will be anchored from both the Morning Live studio at SABC TV Centre in Auckland Park, and from Qunu in the Eastern Cape - Madiba's home town, with a series of live crossings to news correspondents and journalists at strategic venues which have played a significant role in Madiba's long and rewarding life. The broadcast will also include the screening of important historical and archived footage of South Africa's first democratically-elected President.

In addition to the two anchors, live crossings will be made to the following special venues: Robben Island off Cape Town, Drakenstein Prison (formerly Victor Vester Prison) in the Western Cape, and Vilakazi Street in Soweto - Madiba's home following his release from prison.

Joining the SABC News journalists and anchors at the two anchor venues will be a number of special guests who will share their stories and memories of Nelson Mandela, and join the South African public in celebrating 90 years of this great leader's life. SABC News' network of foreign correspondents based around Africa and the world will also send messages and special tributes from their respective news bureaus, including a live crossing to the SABC News bureau in London.

To wish Madiba happy birthday personally via SABCnews.com and to view its special feature online, go to www.sabcnews.com/features/madibas_90th_birthday/.

Madiba Birthday Celebrations: CNNclick to enlarge

On Saturday, 19 July at 8am, 4pm and 9pm and Sunday 20 July at 8am (all CAT) on DStv Channel 401, CNN International will present a 60-minute documentary exploring the extraordinary life of the man who helped lead South Africa out of its apartheid past, and rose to become one of the world's best-known leaders and statesmen. Presented by CNN's South Africa correspondent Robyn Curnow, who covered Mandela's presidency 10 years ago, the programme examines Mandela's incredible life, evaluating among other things his legacy, influence and global significance.

The documentary will include rare and candid interviews with his wife Graca Machel and his grandchildren. CNN also has an exclusive look inside the pages of the family's photo albums. Robyn also speaks to his old Robben Island fellow inmates Mac Maharaj and Achmed Kathrada; his lawyer and close friend George Bizos and his former bodyguard Roray Steyrn. World leaders including Kofi Annan, Jacob Zuma and Wangari Mathai also share their anecdotes and memories of this extraordinary man, known to many as Madiba.

To wish Madiba happy birthday personally via CNN.com and to view its special feature online, go to www.cnn.com/mandela.

Print and online newspaper initiatives

Madiba Birthday Celebrations: IOLclick to enlarge

Independent Newspapers will be celebrating tomorrow by running a 16-page special commemorative supplement in The Star, Daily News, Isolezwe, Pretoria News and Diamonds Field Advertiser, as well as “masses of other coverage”. To view its special section online at IOL, go to www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3079.

News24.com launched its birthday tribute, an online educational resource, on 1 July 2008 at http://specialreports.news24.com/Mandela/ The news portal has been inviting all citizens to email their own written and video tributes to Madiba, with R1000 in cash up for grabs for the best.

Madiba Birthday Celebrations: New24.comclick to enlarge

The Citizen will be donating 50 cents from the sale of each Citizen newspaper tomorrow in order to commemorate and honour the role Madiba has played as a living legacy in South Africa. All funds collected will be donated to the Mandela Rhodes Foundation (www.mandelarhodes.org).

“The Citizen is thrilled to support The Mandela Rhodes Foundation,” says Greg Stewart, publisher of the newspaper. “The Foundation is currently doing an outstanding job of building exceptional leadership capacity in Africa by supporting academically commendable postgraduate students while also encouraging the development of their leadership and entrepreneurial skills. In the five years since inception, the Foundation has succeeded in changing the lives of many South Africans who are going to play a vital role in the development of this country going forward.

Madiba Birthday Celebrations: The Timesclick to enlarge

The Times is inviting the nation to interact and share in Madiba's celebration online by interacting with a special report on www.thetimes.co.za. “To commemorate the birthday of SA's favourite son together with the South African public we wanted to provide a platform for people to truly share in and contribute to the celebrations,” says Ray Hartley, editor of The Times.

“For this reason and due to a growing demand for interactivity we have created and captured the most exciting iconic photos, videos and audio clips that the public can view, share, rate and comment on. We have also called for individuals to share any photos they have of themselves with Mandela and to email their birthday messages.”

The best 90 messages via SMS or email will win a copy of the book A Man of the People, which is a photographic tribute to Mandela by veteran South African photographer Peter Magubane, who was Madiba's official photographer for a number of years. In a sneak preview, listen to Magubane speaking about his years photographing Madiba while viewing the exclusive images.

Another interesting feature is a timeline that encapsulates significant events that have taken place in the life of the people's president.

To wish Madiba happy birthday personally via The Times Online and to view its special feature online, go to www.thetimes.co.za/SpecialReports/mandelasbirthday/Default.aspx?ID=382311.

The Mail & Guardian will also publish a special section on Friday, with several articles looking at his status as an icon and exploring what he means for South Africa as he turns 90. This content will also be available online, along with more articles and photos, at www.mg.co.za/mandela from Friday morning.

Social media initiatives

Madiba Birthday Celebrations: Zoopy.comclick to enlarge

SA social media destinations Zoopy.com and Blueworld.co.za (a youth-focused social network) have also been inviting South Africans to participate in wishing Madiba happy birthday.

Says Jason Elk, CEO of Zoopy: "As Madiba celebrates his big 9-0 with the nation and those who love him across the globe, Zoopy has created a multimedia birthday card to wish the special guy in all our lives a very happy birthday.

“Users can add videos, photos and comments at www.zoopy.com/madiba and include them on Madiba's page by tagging their media with 'madiba90'. To add to the celebrations on Friday, we'll also be featuring some of the uploaded birthday videos on the Zoopy homepage throughout the day."

Madiba Birthday Celebrations: Blue Worldclick to enlarge

Explains Charl Norman, operations manager at Blueworld Communities, "Using our platform we wanted to create an area where our community could post well wishes to the legendary Nelson Mandela. Using our group pages we created a custom look honouring special moments in Madiba's life through pictures. The Blueworld members who join the group [www.blueworld.co.za/groups/groups.aspx?id=366]can post happy birthday messages and upload media such as videos and photos. The group will stay online forever to honour Nelson's contribution to our country."

Radio initiatives

5FM's Gareth Cliff has chosen to wish Madiba a very happy birthday in his own special way by having the choral gems of South Africa sing to him live in studio. 46664 Ambassadors, as well as two-time Grammy Award winners Soweto Gospel Choir, will perform live on the national breakfast show and will sing Happy Birthday to Mandela.

Primedia Broadcasting's special dedication is available at www.br.co.za/tata/default2.asp?id=1. Listeners can also phone in their messages for broadcast tomorrow.

Business initiatives

Madiba Birthday Celebrations: Nandos

Postage stamps depicting Madiba - intended to be collector's items - were launched by the South African Post Office earlier this week, unveiled by SAPO board chairperson Vuyo Mahlati. “Our stamps are small ambassadors that carry images of our country to destinations all over the world. We believe that the stamps we are unveiling today, will carry the message to all corners of the world,” BuaNews reports her as saying.

According to BuaNews, “the life of former South African President Nelson Mandela has been extensively documented on stamps and philatelic products. The stamps launched to mark his inauguration as President went on to become the best sellers in the history of the Post Office, and were followed by a stamp booklet titled The Many Faces of Nelson Mandela.”

And where would South Africa be without Nando's marking this special day with Madiba-styled generosity to others, too? The homegrown fast food brand will be dishing out presents on Madiba's behalf to every citizen over the age of 90.

“The African spirit of ubuntu is part of our joint heritage and as a brand proudly born and bred in South Africa, Nando's knows that taking care of and respecting our elders is an African ideal that is rewarded with long, healthy years,” explains Sylvester Chauke, Nando's SA marketing manager.

“We are reflecting Madiba's own charitable spirit on his birthday by honouring all those nonagenarians in our various communities with a FREE meal from Nando's. Naturally they will have a choice of five flavours - Lemon & Herb, Mediterranean, Mild, Hot and Extra Hot Peri-Peri - all guaranteed to add a few more years of heat and soul!”

Concludes Chauke, “We are looking forward to welcoming 90-plus ‘Spring chickens' in our restaurants on the 18th and will be recording their celebrations. Hopefully, the rest of us will be inspired by them and will show as much spunk when we get to that number 90!”

Now don't forget to add your own Madiba birthday wishes to Bizcommunity's tribute page!

Madiba Birthday Celebrations: Mail & Guardianclick to enlarge

Madiba Birthday Celebrations: SA Post office

Madiba Birthday Celebrations: SA Post office

Madiba Birthday Celebrations: SA Post officeclick to enlarge