Press Release Author = Lyrical Knockout Entertainment
Industry = Government
Press Release Summary = South African Diplomat, Canadian Music Personality Discuss \'Mandela Literacy\'
Press Release Body = Toronto -- Former South African Minister Mac Maharaj celebrated at the \"Mandela: Authorized Portrait\" Canadian launch with Hip-Hop Activist Raoul Juneja (a.k.a. Deejay Ra) and supporters, October 30th at the World\'s Biggest Bookstore boutique in Downtown Toronto.
Revered as the closest-living comrade to world leader Nelson Mandela and one of the century\'s most prominent freedom fighters of South Asian heritage, Maharaj reflected on a variety of emotional issues at the event, ranging from his historic twelve years of wrongful incarceration alongside Mandela, to his current editing of the most comprehensive portrait of Mandela ever published with fellow Robben Island compatriot Ahmed Kathrada.
A \'Mandela Literacy\' initiative was also launched by Juneja as a spin-off to his \'Hip-Hop Literacy\' program with the support of Maharaj last week, encouraging South African themed books to students such as \"Biko\" by Donald Woods. \"Biko\" became the basis for \"Gandhi\" director Lord Attenborough\'s \"Cry Freedom\" 1987 film, which garnered Denzel Washington\'s first Oscar nomination for his portrayal of assassinated anti-apartheid leader Steve Biko.
Maharaj began campaigning against segregation of Africans and Indians in South Africa as early as 1955 at the University of Natal while serving as the editor of the student newspaper. During his release from Robben Island in 1976, Maharaj smuggled Nelson Mandela\'s memoirs out of prison and was appointed to maintain the underground African National Congress (ANC) within South Africa. Maharaj\'s role as overall commander of Operation Vula in 1988 provided the still imprisoned Nelson Mandela a direct communication channel to his exiled comrades such as ANC President Oliver Tambo in Zambia.
Upon Nelson Mandela\'s release from prison after 27 years, Maharaj acted as joint secretary of the negotiating and election processes from 1991 to 1994. In addition to the milestone of being appointed Minister Of Transport in South Africa\'s first democratically elected government, the memoirs left in Maharaj\'s care were the basis for Mandela\'s \"Long Walk To Freedom\" autobiography, now considered one of the most important books of all time.
Prior to retiring from Parliament in 1999, Mac Maharaj received praise from New York\'s Infrastructure Finance journal and was awarded by the South African Guild of Motoring for his \'Arrive Alive\' road safety campaign among other accommodations. Maharaj is also editor of the \"Reflections In Prison\" book by Nelson Mandela and their Robben Island comrades, and currently serves on the board of the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
Raoul Juneja, known as Deejay Ra, is founder of the \'Hip-Hop Literacy\' high school and college program. He is currently campaigning for the birthdays of Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi to be officially recognized on North American calendars.
2012
