Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/Al Jazeera
Zimbabwe's president, Robert Mugabe, released balloons into the air during celebrations to mark his 89th birthday.
Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/Al Jazeera
His birthday celebration was held in Bindura, 90 kilometres north of the capital Harare.
Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/Al Jazeera
More than 15,000 supporters thronged a stadium to join in the birthday celebrations.
Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/Al Jazeera
Mugabe, left, enjoyed some ice cream with his wife Grace.
Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/Al Jazeera
Mugabe's wife Grace, centre, with her children Bona, right, and Chatunga.
Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/Al Jazeera
Police officers kept a close watch over the birthday celebrations.
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Mugabe was first elected president in 1980, after Zimbabwe's rule by its white minority came to an end and the country officially gained its independence from the United Kingdom.
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Mugabe greets supporters during the celebrations.
Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/Al Jazeera
During the 1960s Mugabe was the secretary general of the Zimbabwe African National Union, a nationalist party fighting the rule of the country's white minority. Today, the Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front is Zimbabwe's ruling party.
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Mugabe spent more than 10 years in jail as a political prisoner during the 1960s and 70s.
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A supporter of Mugabe performs during the festivities.
Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/Al Jazeera
In the past decade, Mugabe has embarked on a controversial programme seizing and redistributing land from white farmers, who had historically owned much of the country's fertile land.