Concert to honor Mandela’s legacy

This year marks the centenary of the birth of Nelson Mandela (1918-2013), the late president of South Africa. To commemorate one of the great leaders in history, Dankook University is holding a concert today at the university’s Nanpa Concert Hall in Yongin, Gyeonggi, starting at 4:30 p.m.

A number of events were organized across the globe in July - the month Mandela was born - but according to the university, this is the first event to be held in Korea.

The program has been drawn up to “shed light on Mandela, who devoted his whole life to fostering racial reconciliation through peace, advocating for democracy and human rights.” With that in mind, the university will stage a number from the opera “Nabucco” to open the evening. Giuseppe Verdi’s opera based on biblical books of Jeremiah and Daniel follows the plight of the Jews as they are assaulted, conquered and exiled from their homeland by Nabucco, also known as Nebuchadnezzar II, the Babylonian king.

Nozuko Gloria Bam, the South African ambassador to Korea, will go on stage herself to sing “Serenade to Spring” composed by Rolf Lovland. According to the university, about 25 ambassadors based in Seoul will attend the concert.

“South Africa and Korea share similarities of the pain and agony of being colonized by the powers, but we have a responsibility to take a step together for the peace of mankind,” said Chang Ho-sung, president of Dankook University. “The university has organized the concert in the hopes of enhancing Mandela’s spiritual heritage.”

Mandela served as the president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999 and was the country’s first leader to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid by tackling institutionalized racism and fostering racial reconciliation. He received more than 250 honors, including the Nobel Peace Prize.

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [sharon@joongang.co.kr]