Mandela should be smiling at this heartfelt letter Beyoncé wrote to him

Ahead of the much anticipated Global Citizen Festival in South Africa this weekend, Beyoncé has penned a very emotional and heartfelt letter to Nelson Mandela.

In the letter which was published on her website, the multi-award-winning songstress and actress praised Madiba, who passed away in 2013, for leading an exemplary life to which she would pass on to her three children.

Set to perform at the festival, she also wrote about how she was looking forward to the festivities in celebration of his legacy.

The Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100 will take place at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg to celebrate Madiba’s 100^th birthday. This year’s festivities aims to raise $1 billion to help and support deprived and poverty-stricken people across the world with 50% of those proceeds allocated to women and girls.

Other superstar acts billed to perform at the festival include Jay-Z, Cassper Nyovest, D’Banj, Ed Sheeran, Eddie Vedder, Femi Kuti, Kacey Musgraves, Pharrell Williams & Chris Martin, Sho Madjozi, Tiwa Savage, Usher and Wizkid.

Read Beyoncé’s beautifully written letter below:

Dear Madiba,

I first met you in 2004 for the 46664 Aids Benefit Concert in Cape Town, and the impact you have had on my life resonates with me today and every day. Your kindness and gratitude for every experience, and your ability to forgive, are lessons I have learned and will pass on to my three children. My entire family holds you in high regard.

It is an honor for me to travel to South Africa this week in celebration of you and your efforts to right so many wrongs. You were a strategic warrior, a bold activist and charismatic and well-loved leader. Your vision for dignity, for human rights, for peace and a South Africa free of racism and apartheid, allows us all to turn dreams into reality.

I remember taking that walk with you back to the prison on Robben Island, where you spent 18 of those 27 years behind bars. I recall your measured but focused steps in as you recounted the stories of the struggles, the sacrifices and your resilience. You smiled as you talked to a crowd of artists and their guests, including my mother, who first told my sister and me about the great Nelson Mandela. In that moment I truly understood your heart and humility.

You made it possible for so many people like me to reject impossibilities and understand our capabilities in making lasting change in the world. The smallest efforts could change the trajectory for so many living in extreme poverty, facing injustices, the indecency of racism and fighting for their rights as humans.

As we celebrate the Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100, honoring your centennial year, I promise you that we have made your dreams our own. Your work and your sacrifices were not in vain. I will cherish every moment shared in your presence and use the lessons learned from you as fuel to stir positive ideas and solutions.

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter