Features | Online edition of Daily News

Tuesday, 9 August 2011

Home

dailynews
ONLINE

Celebrating Nelson Mandela

Nalaka Gunawardene and Vindana Ariyawansa

The Nelson Mandela International Day (or Mandela Day) was once again observed recently on July 18. It is an annual international day in honour of Nelson Mandela, celebrated on Mandela’s birthday). The day was officially declared by the United Nations in November 2009, and the first Mandela Day was held in 2010.

The Mandela Day campaign message is: “Nelson Mandela has fought for social justice for 67 years. We’re asking you to start with 67 minutes.” It not only celebrates Nelson Mandela, one of the most distinguished statesmen of our time, but also calls on people everywhere to renew their commitment to social justice, equality and fairness – values that Mandela has upheld and promoted all his life.

We start off today with a few questions on Mandela.

1 Trained as a lawyer, Nelson Mandela was an anti-Apartheid activist for much of his life, and once the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). In 1962, he was arrested by the white minority government and convicted of sabotage and other charges, and sentenced to life imprisonment. He served 27 years in prison, spending many of these years on a small prison island in Table Bay off Cape Town. It is no longer used for that purpose, and is now converted into a tourist attraction – and a memorial to the dark, inhuman days of Apartheid. It is also designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. What is this island called?

2 46664 (four, double six, six four) is a series of worldwide AIDS charity concerts played in honour of Nelson Mandela by South African musicians during the past decade. Shortly before performing artiste Joe Strummer’s death, he and U2’s Bono co-wrote the song titled “46664” for Mandela as part of the campaign against AIDS in Africa. This series of numbers has a historical meaning. What is their meaning?

3 The Nobel Peace Prize 1993 was awarded jointly to Nelson Mandela and another South African “for their work for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime, and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa”. The man who shared the Prize with Mandela was the serving President of South Africa, best remembered for engineering the end of apartheid, South Africa’s racial segregation policy, and supporting the transformation of South Africa into a multi-racial democracy. Who was he?

4 A contemporary Iranian novelist, who has been a victim of rigid state censorship enforced in Iran, has written a novel based on his experiences. Called Censoring an Iranian Love Story, it was published in 2009 and follows the journey of a fictional writer who meets the man responsible for censoring his book. Who was the real life author of this work of fiction?

5 Which 20th Century American President designated July as the National Ice Cream Month in 1984? He also appointed the third Sunday in July as National Ice Cream Day. He recognized the popularity of ice cream in the United States, where 90 of the people consume ice cream, and stated that these two events should be observed with “appropriate ceremonies and activities.” (Clue: He was well known for his sweet tooth and kept a large jar of jelly beans in the White House.)

6 Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy is a 1996 memoir by American author Frances Mayes, which describes how she bought and restored an abandoned villa in the Tuscan countryside, discovering joys, frustrations and idiosyncrasies of living in Italy. The book was a New York Times bestseller for over two and a half years, and was also a New York Times Notable Book of 1997. The book was adapted into a Hollywood film in 2003 and directed by Audrey Wells. Who played the role of Frances Mayes in the film?

7 The average annual number of births during a year per 1,000 persons in a country’s population at mid-year is known as crude birth rate. While birthrates have been dropping in most countries of the world, it remains high in some countries, mostly in Africa. Which western African country currently has the highest crude birth rate in the world, estimated to be 50.54 per 1,000 persons in 2011?

8 A proposed canal to link the South China Sea directly to the Indian Ocean by cutting across the Thai isthmus, has shown recent signs of being reactivated given the economic benefits it would bring to the region as well as the continuing problems with piracy in the Straits of Malacca and the current route for trade to and from India and South–East Asia to China. The 44-km canal was first recognized as a potential for boosting trade in 1677, and if built, would have the same impact on South-East Asia as the Panama and Suez Canals in those regions. What is this canal project known as?

9 Vijaya Kumaratunga (1945 – 1988) one of the most popular Sri Lankan film actors who later also became a politician. In a career that spanned two decades, he acted in 114 films. Vijaya played his first lead role in a 1969 film directed by Sugathapala Senarath Yapa. What was this film?

10 An internationally noted planetary scientist and astronomer at the University of Arizona died on 11 July 2011 aged 86. Born and raised in the Netherlands, where he was a hero of the Dutch Resistance during WWII, he fostered new research on asteroids and comets, including those that pose a threat to Earth. In a career that spanned more than half a century, he discovered – on his own or with colleagues – over 4,000 asteroids. He was also a long-standing friend of Sri Lanka where he supported the pursuit of amateur and professional astronomy since the 1950s. Who was he?

11 “You know you are getting old when the candles cost more than the cake!” These words were uttered by who knew what he was talking about: a British-born American comedian and actor who lived to a hundred years. In an illustrious career spanning several decades, he appeared in vaudeville (theatrical entertainment), on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. Who was he?

12 Having started with a single outlet in Seattle, Washington state, in the US in March 1971, this company has expanded to become the largest coffeehouse company in the world - with over 17,000 stores in 50 countries. Interestingly, the company’s brand name is derived from the famous American novel Moby Dick by Herman Melville – it is named after the first mate on the whaleship Pequod, commanded by Captain Ahab. What is this famous brand name?

13 This Indian musician met violinist Yehudi Menhuhin in 1952, which started a lifelong friendship. In 1966, he met George Harrison which also led to a creative collaboration. He popularized Indian music and performed in Monterey and Woodstock and co-organized a massive concert for Bangladesh in 1971. With the New York concert producer Sue Jones he had a daughter in 1979, who is now the popular singer Norah Jones. What is the name of this highly globalised Indian sitar player?

14 A ‘domain name’ is an identification label that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority or control in the Internet. Domain names are unique host names that identify Internet Protocol (IP) resources such as websites. On 15 March 1985, the world’s first commercial Internet domain name (.com) was registered under the name by a computer systems firm in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. What was it?

15 India and England celebrated their centenary Test cricket match between two countries on 22 July 2011 at Lord’s cricket ground. This match also marked a landmark event of being the 2,000th Test match to be played in the history of cricket. Who captained England in the inaugural Test match between these two countries in 1932 at Lord’s? He was born in Malabar Hill, Bombay, and was infamous for implementing Bodyline bowling tactics.