Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (1918-2013) was a lawyer, political activist and president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.
Mandela was one of the leaders of the movement against the apartheid regime in the country and spent 27 years in prison as a result of his political struggle.
Biography
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born in the village of Mvezo, on July 18, 1918, in a family of aristocrats.
He received the name Rolihlahla from his parents and at school, the name “Nelson”, according to the custom of receiving an English name from teachers, as the British were unable to pronounce African names.
In 1927, with the death of his father, Henry Mgadla, Nelson Mandela, before turning 10, went to live with his uncle and thus had access to a wide formal education.
He studied at the preparatory school “Clarkebury Boarding Institute”, an elite black school, and at “Healdtown College”, a boarding school.
In 1939, at the age of 21, he entered the “Fort Hare University”, the first University in South Africa, founded in 1916.
Nelson Mandela visits the prison where he has been imprisoned for 27 years
At that time, South Africa was governed by the “Afrikaners”, descendants of the English colonists who continued to maintain their privileged position.
The black population was marginalized through laws that regulated public spaces with specific beaches for whites and blacks until the use of bathrooms and drinking fountains. They also prohibited interracial marriage.
Fight against Apartheid
Involved in student movements and protests within the University, Mandela decides to leave college, before finishing his course, and goes to Johannesburg, capital of South Africa.
It was at that moment, given the problems faced in the big city and still the gap between blacks and whites, that Mandela decided to return to study and fight against racism in his country.
In the mid-40s, he graduated in Arts at the “University of South Africa” and Law at the “University of Witwatersrand”.
In this context, Mandela begins to attend meetings of the CNA (African National Congress), a movement against Apartheid. In 1944, together with Walter Sisulo and Oliver Tambo they founded the “Youth League of CNA”. That same year, he married Evelyn Mase, with whom he had 4 children. The union, however, lasted 12 years.
In 1960, the “Sharpeville Massacre” takes place, when the police crack down on blacks who peacefully protested against the regime and were killed by the police. The action left 69 blacks dead and more than 100 injured.
This fact was decisive for Mandela to become even more involved in political activism. He became the commander of the CNA’s armed wing, however, in 1962 he was convicted and imprisoned, remaining until 1990, for 27 years.
Prison
Nelson Mandela’s arrest proved a wave of outrage around the world. Several protests were organized in London, Paris and the United States demanding the release of the leader.
Despite being incarcerated in terrible conditions that included forced labor and isolation, Mandela did not fail to write and military.
His second wife, Winnie Madikizela, continued the struggle against segregationism while asking for her husband’s release.
Mandela proclaims that he must follow the “Path of Evidence” if he is to achieve his goal of creating a South Africa for blacks and whites.
South African presidents, however, consistently refused to release him. Only in 1984 was there an offer. Mandela could get out of prison, on condition that he strayed from politics. He refused the proposal and would be jailed for another six years.
On February 11, 1990, the President of South Africa, Frederik de Klerk, frees Nelson Mandela and, in addition, removes the ANC from illegality. Thus, it would officially end the apartheid law.
Three years later, both were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their fight for civil and human rights in the country. Mandela would still earn the title of “Father of the Fatherland” of the modern South African nation.
Nelson Mandela and Frederik de Klerk receive the Nobel Peace Prize
Thus, Mandela was elected president of the country in 1994 and governed until 1999.
Upon leaving prison, Mandela made a speech calling for reconciliation:
“ I fought against white domination, and I fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society, in which all people can live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal that I hope to live by and that I hope to achieve. But, if necessary, it is an ideal for which I am ready to die . ”
He passed away on December 5, 2013, in Houghton, Johannesburg, South Africa, aged 95.
Phrases
- “ Education is the most powerful weapon by which to change the world.”
- ” Whatever the God, I am master of my destiny and captain of my soul.”
- “ I hate racism, because I consider it a wild thing, whether it’s black or white.”
- ” Hungry democracy, without education and health for the majority, is an empty shell.”
- “ Nobody is born hating another person for the color of their skin, their origin or even their religion. To hate, people need to learn and, if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love. ”
- “ If you speak to a man in a language that he understands, it gets into his head. If you speak to him in your own language, you reach your heart. ”
- “ Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through her that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a miner can become the director of the mine, that a child of farm workers can become the president of a country. ”
Curiosities
In 2010, the UN (United Nations) defines “Nelson Mandela International Day” ( Mandela Day ), celebrated on July 18, the date of his birth.
Several books, films and documentaries were inspired by Nelson Mandela’s trajectory, of which the following stand out:
- the memoir books: “Conversations I had with me” (2010) and “Long walk to freedom” (2012);
- the films: “Speeches by Nelson Mandela” (1995), “Mandela, struggle for freedom” (2007), “Invictus” (2009), “Mandela: long road to freedom” (1994);
- the documentaries: “Never lose hope” (1984), “Viva Mandela” (1990), “Countdown to freedom: ten days that changed South Africa” (1994), “Mandela: Son of Africa, father of a nation ”(1996) and“ Nelson Mandela: a just man ”(2000).
