Nelson Mandela celebrated his 95^th birthday in a hospital in the city of Pretoria, South Africa. In honor of the famous anti-apartheid politician, events were held in the country and all over the world.

The former South African president has been hospitalized since June 8 after falling critically ill due to a recurring lung infection. According to the country's current President Jacob Zuma, Mandela's progress is very encouraging.

"When I visited him today... I was able to say 'happy birthday' and he was able to smile," said Zuma in a statement. "Mandela's struggle for freedom and justice in our country and his values of promoting a fair, just and equitable world continues to inspire and motivate us," the current president continued, talking to a delegation from the European Union.

The Apartheid in South Africa segregated the 'whites' and the 'blacks' in the nation, bringing economic sanctions, expulsions from international organizations, and foreign divestments.

Mandela championed the strike against the Apartheid, bringing the South African economy back on track. He led the Reconstruction and Development program of post-Apartheid South Africa, which resulted in a currently growing black middle-class in the country.