Fiche Anglais, Nelson Mandela

OUHA

M’HAMED

TGA1

Nelson Mandela.

The 95-year-old South African president died yesterday at his home in Johannesburg. He was suffering from severe respiratory problems. His death provokes great emotion throughout the world as he was a very important historical figure in the fight against racism.

Heroes of the struggle for equality between blacks and whites, Nelson Mandela had a great joie de vivre. In South Africa, Nelson Mandela was nicknamed “Tata” (father) or “Madiba” (his clan name). These are two respectful and loving ways to speak to the hero who fought all his life for equality and freedom in his country. Nelson Mandela was born in 1918. His father was then head of his village. He entered an English school, then studied at the only university that accepted black students. He became a lawyer and founded the first black law firm.

His fight against the apartheid

In 1939, in South Africa, black and white people did not live in the same way. A black man can be hired at ten times the salary of a white man. That’s segregation. In 1948, apartheid was officially established. Whites (Afrikaners) proclaimed their superiority over blacks. They no longer have the right to vote. Mixed marriages are prohibited. Black and white are no longer mixed. There are different places and laws for both. Nelson Mandela fights this segregation very early on. He opposes the government’s racist policy. He was arrested in 1963 and sentenced to life imprisonment. He is imprisoned on Robben Island. It is in this cell that he catches tuberculosis by breaking pebbles. He will remain there for 27 years.

A symbol of peace

At that time, South Africa was very isolated from the rest of the world. The other countries condemn apartheid and stop their trade with the South African government. Nelson Mandela is the world’s most famous prisoner. Demonstrations are taking place calling for his release. In 1990, South African President Frederik De Klerk, who had been elected for six months, released Nelson Mandela. A year later, segregation laws were removed. Apartheid ended. “Madiba” was elected president in 1994. He remained in power for nine years. In 1993, he shared the Nobel Peace Prize with the liberator, Frederik De Klerk. A day is also dedicated to him, each year, on July 18 – the day of his birth – the "Mandela Day".

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