Bangu Masisi | President, North America
South African Tourism

Dear Friends and Partners of South Africa,

Each year on July 18, South Africa celebrates the birth of beloved former president Nelson Mandela. A humanitarian, politician and philanthropist, Mandela fought tirelessly for equality and a better life for all South Africans. In his honor, we celebrate Mandela Day with a global call to action for citizens of the world to follow in the footsteps of Madiba. The message behind the day is simple – each person has the ability and responsibility to change the world for the better.

This year, we ask you to join us, giving 67 minutes of your time to make the world a better place. Register your actions at mandeladay.com, and share your actions on social media using the hashtag #MandelaDay.

Best Regards,
Bangu Masisi

To learn more about South Africa’s 27 Mandela-themed attractions, don’t forget to download the ‘Madiba’s Journey’ smart phone app. Created in partnership with The Nelson Mandela Foundation, the app makes it easier than ever for tourists to explore the multi-faceted country through the lens of South Africa’s former president and global icon, Nelson Mandela.

Highlighting tourist sites and attractions that were pivotal to Mandela’s journey to freedom, the GPS-enabled app provides real-time information, such as written and audio details, contact details, map previews, and photo galleries to enrich visits to the sites. The app is available for download on iOS and Android platforms.

South African Tourism recently partnered with Grammy award-winning rock band Mumford & Sons to celebrate the release of their new album Johannesburg. Inspired by their recent visit to South Africa, the album was recorded over a 48 hour period in February 2016. The album features Baaba Maal, The Very Best and Cape Town favorites, Beatenberg.

As part of the album release, South African Tourism partnered with Okay Africa and the band to host a pop-up experience for consumers in New York City, as well as joining two sold out concerts at Forest Hills Stadium.

Learn more about “The story behind Mumford & Sons’ new mini-album” from USA Today.