Former president Nelson Mandela is dominating the conversation on the social networks as the struggle hero celebrates his 94th birthday.
As tweets pour in for Mandela from around the world, the “67 Minutes” campaign is also trending as South Africans participate in activities to help their local communities, in honour of Mandela's life and legacy.
The campaign has grown considerably since the Nelson Mandela Foundation actively began using social media last year to spread awareness of International Mandela Day (a day adopted by the United Nations to honour the former SA president).
“The overarching objective of Mandela Day is to inspire individuals to take action to help change the world for the better and, in doing so, build a global movement for good,” says the foundation.
“Individuals and organisations are free to participate in Mandela Day as they wish. We do, however, urge everyone to adhere to the ethical framework of 'service to one's fellow human'.”
Anyone can join the Mandela Day community and register an activity via the official Mandela Day Web site.
Another campaign by Prezence Digital and Lead SA, which is garnering international interest, aims to create awareness of Mandela Day by reimagining Mandela's life via social media.
The “Mandela Story” YouTube video poses the question: “Would our nation's father, Nelson Mandela, have spent 27 years in prison if he had access to the same technology, social media platforms, instant sharing apps and global monitoring tools as we do today?”
The video, which has been endorsed and shared by the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory, charts Mandela's life via a dynamic Facebook timeline, and incorporates other social media platforms such as Twitter, foursquare, Pinterest and Instagram. It is hoped the campaign will go viral with the “MandelaStory” hashtag.
Those who watch the video are also encouraged to add their names to a limited edition print that will be sold to raise funds for charity. “Nelson Mandela left his mark; it is now in our hands to continue his legacy and do the right thing for our community,” says a message on the site.
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