Cape Town — Former president Nelson Mandela would be honoured by a year-long national festival to celebrate his 90th birthday, which would be co-ordinated by the museum that carries his name, Prof Kader Asmal, chairman of the Nelson Mandela Museum council, said yesterday.

Asmal said that a series of events would take place not only at the museum in Mthatha but also at Mandela's birth place in Mvezo and his retirement home in Qunu , as well as throughout SA.

The celebration calendar includes a letters programme to honour Mandela and Rosa Parks, the American civil rights icon.

This will be done in partnership with the Michigan State University and Keeper of the Word Foundation.

The Nelson Mandela Exhibition will be launched at Johannesburg's Apartheid Museum in September .

Tributes will also be paid to Mandela and Albert Luthuli, both Nobel p eace laureates, in Qunu.

Asmal said that Mandela's gift to the world was an "unbridled commitment to the principle of human rights, freedom, peace and democracy".

"It is these values that we have tried to highlight in the birthday celebration," he said.