Happy Freedom Day, South Africa!

The rainbow nation celebrates 20 years of liberation.

20 Years of Freedom - Sunday marks the 20th anniversary of Freedom Day, the annual April 27 celebration of South Africa's liberation and democracy. This year's theme, "A Better Place to Live In," recognizes the strides the nation has made in consolidating democracy, building a new nation and improving the quality of life for all. Keep reading to learn more about this national holiday. — Patrice Peck(Photo: J. Countess/Getty Images)

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20 Years of Freedom - Sunday marks the 20th anniversary of Freedom Day, the annual April 27 celebration of South Africa's liberation and democracy. This year's theme, "A Better Place to Live In," recognizes the strides the nation has made in consolidating democracy, building a new nation and improving the quality of life for all. Keep reading to learn more about this national holiday. — Patrice Peck(Photo: J. Countess/Getty Images)

The End of Apartheid - Freedom Day signifies the end of more than 300 years of colonialism, segregation and white minority rule in South Africa, as well as the establishment of a new democratic government, a new state and a new constitution.(Photo: Keystone/Getty Images)

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The End of Apartheid - Freedom Day signifies the end of more than 300 years of colonialism, segregation and white minority rule in South Africa, as well as the establishment of a new democratic government, a new state and a new constitution.(Photo: Keystone/Getty Images)

A Landmark Election - A culmination of years of violent struggle, the first non-racial presidential elections were held on April 27, 1994. A corresponding negotiated settlement led to the release of political prisoners, the return of exiles and the unbanning of liberation organizations.(Photo: REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko)

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A Landmark Election - A culmination of years of violent struggle, the first non-racial presidential elections were held on April 27, 1994. A corresponding negotiated settlement led to the release of political prisoners, the return of exiles and the unbanning of liberation organizations.(Photo: REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko)

Tense Talks - In the year leading up to the election, the South African government engaged in long and tense talks with the African National Congress (ANC), the South African Communist Party (SACP) and additional liberation movements to draft an interim constitution.(Photos from left: ANC, South African Communist Party)

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Tense Talks - In the year leading up to the election, the South African government engaged in long and tense talks with the African National Congress (ANC), the South African Communist Party (SACP) and additional liberation movements to draft an interim constitution.(Photos from left: ANC, South African Communist Party)

ANC Dominates - The elections drew out most South African voters, with 19.7 million of the 22.7 million eligible voters participating. With an overwhelming 62.65 percent of the votes (the majority), the ANC won the elections. The party then voluntarily formed the Government of National Unity, which included the National Party and the Inkatha Freedom Party.(Photo: REUTERS/Corinne Dufka)

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ANC Dominates - The elections drew out most South African voters, with 19.7 million of the 22.7 million eligible voters participating. With an overwhelming 62.65 percent of the votes (the majority), the ANC won the elections. The party then voluntarily formed the Government of National Unity, which included the National Party and the Inkatha Freedom Party.(Photo: REUTERS/Corinne Dufka)

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On Bravery: - "I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear." (Photo: WALTER DHLADHLA/AFP/Getty Images)

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President Nelson Mandela - Anti-apartheid revolutionary Nelson Mandela, the ANC president at the time, became the first democratically elected president of South Africa. This year's Freedom Day is the country's first without Mandela, who died in December 2013 at the age of 95.(Photo: WALTER DHLADHLA/AFP/Getty Images)

MANDELA

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A Hard-Won Right - "On this day, you, the people, took your destiny into your own hands," said Mandela on the first anniversary of the elections. "You decided that nothing would prevent you from exercising your hard-won right to elect a government of your choice. Your patience, your discipline, your single-minded purposefulness have become a legend throughout the world."(Photo:  Juda Ngwenya / Reuters)

This Year's Festivities - South African President Jacob Zuma, the nation's fourth leader, will preside over the national holiday, during which he will also confer National Orders, the highest award South Africa bestows to both citizens and non-South Africans.(Photo: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) 

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This Year's Festivities - South African President Jacob Zuma, the nation's fourth leader, will preside over the national holiday, during which he will also confer National Orders, the highest award South Africa bestows to both citizens and non-South Africans.(Photo: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images) 

The Guest of Honor - Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba has been announced as the country's guest of honor for this weekend's Freedom Day celebrations. President Pohamba will join President Zuma in officiating the events, according to the South African presidency. (Photo: REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko)

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The Guest of Honor - Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba has been announced as the country's guest of honor for this weekend's Freedom Day celebrations. President Pohamba will join President Zuma in officiating the events, according to the South African presidency. (Photo: REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko)

#FreedomFridaySelfie - Earlier this month, South Africans began showing their pride for the national holiday in a social media campaign encouraged by the Department of Arts and Culture. In addition to wearing "anything that makes them feel proudly South African," South Africans also shared weekly selfies using the hashtags #FreedomFridaySelfie and #20YOFSelfie.(Photo: Twitter/ FreedomFridaySelfie)

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#FreedomFridaySelfie - Earlier this month, South Africans began showing their pride for the national holiday in a social media campaign encouraged by the Department of Arts and Culture. In addition to wearing "anything that makes them feel proudly South African," South Africans also shared weekly selfies using the hashtags #FreedomFridaySelfie and #20YOFSelfie.(Photo: Twitter/ FreedomFridaySelfie)

President Barack Obama - @BarackObama: "President Obama remembers Nelson Mandela: 'A man who took history in his hands and bent the arc of the moral universe towards justice.'"(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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Reconciliation, Forgiveness and Hope - The White House also released a statement, which noted Mandela's passing and the nation's upcoming presidential elections. "On this 20th anniversary, we reflect on South Africa’s transformation in these two decades as a testament to the power of reconciliation, forgiveness, and hope," read the statement.(Photo: AP Photo/Evan Vucci)