In which was the World Expo held in Brisbane, Queensland; Wimbledon defeat Liverpool in the FA Cup; Nelson Mandela celebrated his 70th?
Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute The Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute was a popular-music concert staged on 11 June 1988 at Wembley Stadium, London, and broadcast to 67 countries and an audience of 600 million. Marking the forthcoming 70th birthday (18 July 1988) of the imprisoned anti-apartheid revolutionary Nelson Mandela, the concert was also referred to as Freedomfest, Free Nelson Mandela Concert and Mandela Day. In the United States, the Fox television network heavily censored the political aspects of the concert. The concert is considered a notable example of anti-apartheid music. The Birthday Tribute was regarded by many, including the
Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute totally Orwellian experience". His own contribution, including a strident rendering of the song, "Sun City", was one of those that were cut. Fox was worried about its sponsors and advertisers, particularly Coca-Cola which had booked six advertising spots for each hour. Whitney Houston, who was contracted to make advertisements for Coca-Cola, did her act in front of a black backdrop instead of the usual picture of Nelson Mandela. But, according to Hollingsworth, this was nothing to do with censorship but the result of an electricity generator failing. Fox also refused to use the concert title, Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute.