VARIETY: Nile Rodgers’ We Are Family Foundation to Honor Nelson Mandela, Tribe Called Quest
We Are Family Foundation, the nonprofit founded by musician and producer Nile Rodgers, will honor hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest, former NBA player Dikembe Mutombo and, posthumously, Nelson Mandela at the organization’s 2017 gala.
WAFF, which runs and supports programs dedicated to cultural diversity and boosting young leaders, will award Mandela the nonprofit’s Mattie J.T. Stepanek Peacemaker Award, which will be accepted by Mandela’s family. Previously honorees include Jimmy Carter, Maya Angelou and Paul Simon.
A Tribe Called Quest, the politically engaged group that was founded in 1985, will receive the Unity Award, given to artists who push to improve the human condition through their work. Mutombo, the former basketball player who founded a foundation that strives to better the living conditions in the Democratic Republic of Congo, will take home WAFF’s Humanitarian Award.