Africa watch

The world marked the first Nelson Mandela International Day commemoration on 18 July with films, lectures, concerts and charitable activities in dozens of countries and communities. At United Nations headquarters in New York an audience of about 600 attended a 15 July screening of the documentary Nelson Mandela: Son of Africa, Father of a Nation, which was introduced by the producers, Jonathan Demme and Peter Saraf. The following day, the General Assembly devoted an informal meeting to the South African leader. The president of the assembly, Ali Treki, described Mr. Mandela as an ““international hero“ for his role in ending apartheid. The General Assembly’s decision to establish Nelson Mandela International Day, he said, “is a call to action to make the world a better place, one day at a time.”