During the 1970s and 1980s, there was a global commitment to end apartheid. Funding for civil society was more generous than it is now. However, when democracy was ushered in and the threat of a bloodbath in South Africa was successfully averted, global funding moved away from civil society and towards the government.
Many of us remain politically, literally and spiritually landless. Many of us are afraid to leave our homes after dark, if we have homes at all. Many of us are excluded from the self-actualisation that formal education promises. All of us are victims of theft from government corruption and mismanagement.
Some of the critique of the campaign has identified the trap of do‑gooding. It just isn’t enough for privileged people to take action against poverty for an hour and seven minutes on July 18 each year. That will not change systems and structures. At the same time, the legacy on which the day has been built has also been contested, especially by younger generations who are insisting on more radical intervention.
Moving forward, this broad scope for the global dimensions of the campaign will be maintained. We will rely on a network of partners both to promote the campaign and to provide it with an issue-based focus in a specific country and other contexts. While the broad appeal and the inclusiveness of the campaign will remain in place — people everywhere should continue to have the freedom to do work they regard as important for their communities, under the Mandela Day umbrella — the foundation is systematically harnessing the campaign as a tool for social justice.