Abu Dhabi: Men, women and children gathered on Monday at Khalidiyah Mall to celebrate the 93rd birthday of an iconic symbol of peace and humanity.
More than 300 well-wishers sang "Happy Birthday" to Nelson Mandela and shared a 67-inch cake representing his 67 years of humanitarian work.
"Each inch represents a year of Mandela's commitment to community work," George Itty, CEO of Nahtam Social Responsibility (NSR), a private voluntary organisation, told Gulf News.
The cake was topped with Mandela's portrait and decorated with the organisers' and sponsors' logos. Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, led the cake-cutting ceremony. Reem Ebrahim Al Hashemi, Minister of State and Chairperson of the Dubai Cares Board of Directors, also attended the ceremony along with other top officials.
Proud
"Mandela is the definition of humanity; he is a legend who devoted his life to fight poverty and serve the world; he showed great power by his endless pursuit of equality and respect for all people," Shaikh Nahyan told Gulf News.
The event was organised for the first time in the UAE by the Embassy of South Africa, NSR, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
"We, the people of South Africa are privileged to inherit the legacy of a great leader like Mandela. With this privilege comes responsibility and a duty to the community," South Africa's ambassador to the UAE, Yacoob Abba Omar, told Gulf News.
Gulf News spoke to South Africans in the capital to get their views of what Mandela means to them.
"Nelson Mandela is the father of our nation. He sacrificed the best years of his life so that people of colour could eventually have equality and freedom — this was achieved without violence. He will always have a special place in our hearts and we are incredibly proud of him," 31-year-old Angela Thomas, who works in the education field, said.
Role model
"It's a great idea that people have been asked [by the UN] to allocate 67 minutes to public service. For this occasion I made an online donation to the Nelson Mandela Foundation," she added.
Henry Doubell, a 43-year-old club director said, "Mandela is a role model, we look up to him. He made lots of changes trying his best to give his people what he promised. He lived up to his promises. I came especially today to honour his dedication."
Michal Smolka, a 43-year-old project manager believes that "Mandela is an inspiration and a leader to look up to."
Sharif Abbas, a 54-year-old CEO of a food company in South Africa, said Mandela was the greatest statesman of all time.
"He reached out with love rather than military conflicts."
