The day Nelson Mandela is buried at his tiny home village of Qunu. in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, Detroiters will gather for a public tribute.
Mayor Dave Bing, who'll speak at the 3 p.m. Music Hall ceremony, designated today as Nelson Mandela Day in he city.
The Detroit News: Tickets are free and will be available at all Ticketmaster outlets. People can download four on the Ticketmaster website with no surcharges, and tickets are also available at outlets and the Music Hall box office. . . .
The Detroit School for the Performing Arts male chorus and the Key of Hope Youth Choir of Durban, South Africa, are scheduled to perform. The choir is made up of young people who are orphans affected by the AIDS crisis in South Africa.
“This is an occasion for Detroiters and supporters throughout this area of different political persuasions, both city and suburban, young and old, black and white, to come together in unity,” said Wendell Anthony, president of Detroit's NAACP branch. “Everyone should seize this opportunity . . . to remember not just a man but a purpose. He has, at last, completed the long walk to freedom. We invite everyone to join us as we all walk together to complete our own journey to freedom.”
On Saturday, three hours of music, dance and remarks honored Mandela at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.
Speakers were scheduled to include Bing, Mayor-Elect Mike Duggan, State Rep. John Olumba and former United Nations diplomat. Salewa Olafioye.
Mandela, who died Dec. 5 at 95. served 27 years in a South African prison as an anti-apartheid crusader. Detroit was among five stops on a U.S. tour after his 1990 release. About 50,000 people jammed Tiger Stadium, raising nearly $1 million to help Mandela pursue South African reconciliation.
