Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom will be screened at the United Nations in Geneva today, 20 March 2014, ahead of the commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination tomorrow.
The screening will be followed, by a panel discussion during the 25th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council under the theme “The Role of Leaders in Mobilising Political Will for Combating Racism and Racial Discrimination”. Participating as panellists will be struggle veteran Ahmed Kathrada, who spent 26 years in prison with Nelson Mandela; the producer of Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Anant Singh; and Member of the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, Emine Bozkurt.
"It is an honour to have Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom screened at the United Nations commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination," says Anant Singh.
"As a leader, Madiba played an integral role in the fight against racism and rallying people to take up the cause. His principled commitment to the struggle for racial equality was highlighted in his famous Rivonia Trial speech when he said, 'I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.'
"Madiba is the perfect example of the role leaders can play in the quest to eradicate racism and racial discrimination."
CEO of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Sello Hatang, says, "We are pleased that the film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom will be screened at the United Nations commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The film underscores Madiba’s iconic contribution with his struggle peers to ensure freedom and equality for all in South Africa’s journey towards the realisation of democracy. The journey continues and is in the hands of each of us every day."
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom will be released on Blu-ray and DVD next Friday, 28 March 2014, in South Africa.
For further information:
Nilesh Singh
Tel: 031 204 6000
E-mail: nilesh@videovision.co.za
Web: www.mandelamovie.co.za
