Nelson Mandela spends 95th birthday in hospital Nelson Mandela is spending his 95th birthday in hospital in Pretoria, as events take place around the world and in South Africa in his honour South Africans are being urged to mark the former president and anti-apartheid leader’s 67 years of public service with 67 minutes of charitable acts Mr Mandela, who is in critical but stable condition with a recurring lung infection, entered hospital on June Mr Mandela’s daughter, Zindzi, said on Wednesday he had made “dramatic progress”, and that she had found him watching television with headphones on and communicating with his eyes and hands when she visited him this week “I should think he will be going home anytime soon,’’ she told the UK’s Sky News television Mr Mandela’s birthday is also Nelson Mandela International Day, a day declared by the UN as a way to recognize the Nobel Prize winner’s contribution to reconciliation The former statesman is revered across the world for his role in ending apartheid in South Africa He went on to become the first black president in the country’s first multi-racial elections in 1994 The governing African National Congress (ANC) said that on this Mandela Day homage was being paid to 95 years of “life well-lived”, dedicated to the liberation of South Africans and people all over the world Nelson Mandela’s life and times Nelson Mandela is one of the world's most revered statesmen, who led the struggle to replace the apartheid regime of South Africa with a multi-racial democracy Jailed for 27 years, he emerged in 1990 to become the country's first black president four years later and to play a leading role in the drive for peace in other spheres of conflict He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 His charisma, self-deprecating sense of humour and lack of bitterness over his harsh treatment, as well as his amazing life story, partly explain his extraordinary global appeal Since stepping down as president in 1999, Mr Mandela has become South Africa's highest-profile ambassador, campaigning against HIV/Aids and helping to secure his country's right to host the 2010 football World Cup Mr Mandela - who has had a series of health problems in recent years - was also involved in peace negotiations in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and other countries in Africa and elsewhere In 2004, at the age of 85, Mr Mandela retired from public life to spend more time with his family and friends and engage in "quiet reflection" "Don't call me, I'll call you," he warned anyone thinking of inviting him to future engagements Text and images from BBC News For discussion: • • • • • “Only free men can negotiate Prisoners cannot enter into contracts” “In prison, you come face to face with time There is nothing more terrifying” Is there, in your country, someone as important, in people’s live changing, as Nelson Mandela was in South Africa? What you think about the idea of celebrating Mandela’s 67 years of public service with 67 minutes of charitable acts? What charity acts would you practice? Write a text using the next topics about Mandela’s life: • 1918 - Born in the Eastern Cape • 1944 - Joined African National Congress • 1956 - Charged with high treason, but charges dropped • 1962 - Arrested, convicted of sabotage, sentenced to five years in prison • 1964 - Charged again, sentenced to life • 1990 - Freed from prison • 1993 - Wins Nobel Peace Prize • 1994 - Elected first black president • 1999 - Steps down as leader • 2001 - Diagnosed with prostate cancer • 2004 - Retires from public life • 2005 - Announces his son has died of an HIV/Aids-related illness • 2007 - Forms The Elders group • 2010 - Appears at closing ceremony of World Cup