Remembering Nelson Mandela’s Legacy through Music and Philanthropy
Cannes, France: In honor of the legacy of one of the world’s greatest leaders and humanitarians, President Nelson Mandela, and to recognize comparable life’s work of Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Cookie Johnson, the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund (“the Fund”) in partnership with Trigo Networks held the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund Gala Cannes on 24 May 2024 at Villa Oxygene located 137 Av. des Cactus, 06220.
During this event, the Fund presented Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Cookie Johnson with the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund Lifetime Achievement Award, also celebrated through a video dedication and a remarkable performance in honor of the Johnsons from The Ghetto Kids from Uganda, who have performed for the Royal Commonwealth at Westminster Abbey and known from Britain’s Got Talent.
Upon the acceptance of the award, Earvin “Magic” Johnson recounts his experience with and sentiments of President Nelson Mandela and his meeting of “a hero, a man who forgave everybody, who then imprisoned, came back out of prison to be named President, that’s a story that is unbelievable and then changed South Africa and the world forever”.
The performances continued to ‘wow’ the audience, including the dedication performances to the friendship of the ‘Great Maestro’ Luciano Pavarotti and the ‘Great Leader’ Nelson Mandela, presented by the Fondazione Luciano Pavarotti, from Soprano Giulia Mazzola and Tenor Cristobal Campos, accompanied by Pianist Maria Laura Berardo, which received a standing ovation. The foundation’s President and the late Luciano Pavarotti’s wife, Nicoletta Mantovani, delivered beautiful words mentioning that “the biggest dream of Luciano was to give a chance to the new generation of singers”.
The event was sponsored by Adventure of Humanity, a charitable organization inspired by the works of Nelson Mandela, along with Bera Winery, Maria Saviano, Fioreliquido, and others. Dr. Solanges Vivens, Executive Producer of the “Alexandria” docu-series Scott Pirnie, Producer Shorouk El-Attar, and Producer Mina Nabil were among the night’s speakers.