Press release

Friday July 10th, 2009

New York City lights up to celebrate

Nelson Mandela's 91st birthday

Former US President Bill Clinton will host an exclusive Mandela Day Gala Dinner and Auction at the stunning Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Terminal on Wednesday 15th July.

Mrs Graca Machel-Mandela will be flying in especially to mark her husband’s birthday together with Nelson Mandela’s daughter and grandson and they will be joined by a number of leading world figures, musicians and stars of stage and screen all showing their support for Mandela Day.

Paul Gambaccini will chair the star-studded Gala and there will be a special birthday tribute by Morgan Freeman with speeches from President Clinton amongst others, as well as performances from Jonathan Butler and the Soweto Gospel Choir. Notable guests expected to attend the dinner will include Forest and Keisha Whitaker, Harry Belafonte, Beyoncé and Jay Z.

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown will address the gala by video message pledging his full support for Mandela Day. The Prime Minister said: “Mandela Day is an important opportunity to honour Nelson Mandela and to honour his historic and memorable achievements…it is a day dedicated to the idea that every individual has the power to change the world for the better…so as we celebrate the first Mandela Day, let us build a legacy worthy of bearing his name.”

The Prime Minister’s full statement can be viewed on here.

The dinner will culminate in an exclusive Christie’s auction. Funds raised on the night will help to promote Madiba’s legacy through the Nelson Mandela Foundation and support 46664 HIV/AIDS projects and outreach campaigns in sub-Saharan Africa.

A host of renowned artists and musicians will then join Mrs Graca Machel-Mandela to kick off Madiba’s birthday in style at the much-awaited Mandela Day concert at Radio City Music Hall on Saturday 18 July. France’s First Lady, Carla Bruni will be performing and will be supported in attendance by her husband President Sarkozy.

The event will bring together a raft of glamorous names including Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and Alicia Keys who will be joined by 46664 supporters Morgan Freeman, Forest Whitaker and Matt Damon. Whoopi Goldberg will be making a special appearance along with a number of other invited guests. Fresh from their mammoth European tour, a number of elite NBA superstars will also be in attendance at the gala dinner and concert.

“We are so grateful to Madison Square Garden for making their iconic Radio City Music Hall available to us,” said Tim Massey International Director of 46664. “We can think of no better home for the launch of Mandela Day than the venue that has a long history of hosting events that give back to the community, such as Comic Relief, VH1’s Save the Music and Time’s 75th Anniversary.”

Mr. Mandela has been making an imprint on the world for 67 years since he actively became involved in campaigning for the human rights of every South African and now ‘Mandela Day’ calls upon each of us to give 67 minutes of our time to helping others, with the idea that each individual has the ability to make an imprint and make the world a better place.

The Mandela Day Gala Dinner and Auction is sponsored by Zain, the leading mobile telecommunications company in Africa and the Middle East. Announcing the sponsorship, Zain Group CEO Dr Saad Al Barrak said: “Mr Mandela is an iconic statesman whose sacrifice and leadership has had an enormous impact on humanity. Honoring him by raising funds for his foundation is in line with Zain’s global ambitions and corporate social responsibility philosophy.”

46664 will also be working with partner organisations, other city authorities and community associations and volunteers across the globe to create a worldwide series of Mandela Day events to honour Nelson Mandela’s life and legacy.

For photos, footage and EPK visit www.MandelaDay.com.

Tickets to the Mandela Day concert being held at Radio City Music Hall in New York on 18th July are available at http://www.ticketmaster.com.

For more information, please visit our In the news page.