Nelson Mandela

Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, in the village of Mviza in South. His father was a counselor to a local king. « Nelson » wasn’t the true name of Mandela. In fact his father chose for him the name Rolihlahla, which translated from Xhosa means literally “troublemaker.” It’s a schoolteacher who gave him the name « Nelson ».

Nelson Mandela, is the revolutionary who turned prisoner and became president who led South Africa out of apartheid. He passed away on December 5, 2013 into an era of political and racial reconciliation. He was 95. Mandela’s remarkable life changed history and its legacy resonates around the world.

He was South Africa's first black chief executive, and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. During this period, he tried to fight against the legacy of apartheid racism, poverty and inequality, and looked for a racial reconciliation.

Beginning law studies at the University of Witwatersrand, Mandela was the only native African student, and though facing racism, he befriended liberal and communist European, Jewish, and Indian students, among them Joe Slovo, Harry Schwarz and Ruth First. Joining the ANC, Mandela was increasingly influenced by Sisulu, spending much time with other activists at Sisulu's Orlando house, including old friend Oliver Tambo. In 1943, Mandela met Anton Lembede, an African nationalist virulently opposed to a racially united front against colonialism and imperialism or to an alliance with the communists. Despite his friendships with non-blacks and communists, Mandela supported Lembede's views, believing that black Africans should be entirely independent in their struggle for political self-determination.

In 1993 he won the Nobel Peace Prize for his leadership for his anti-aparthied acivism. When he receiving the prize he said : "We stand here today as nothing more than a representative of the millions of our people who dared to rise up against a social operation whose very essence is war, violence, racism, oppression, repression and the impoverishment of an entire people.". This sentence is still considered as one of the most important of the Mandela’s life.

During his long life, Mandela won a lot of differents prises however, he have been injailed for long too.

In fact, N.Mandela served over 27 years in prison, initially on Robben Island, and later in Pollsmoor Prison and Victor Verster Prison. An international campaign lobbied for his release. He was released in 1990, during a time of escalating civil strife. Mandela joined negotiations with President F. W. de Klerk to abolish apartheid and establish multiracial elections in 1994, in which he led the ANC to victory and became South Africa's first black president. During his detention, he wrote his autobiograpie and published it in 1995.

Mandela was a controversial figure for much of his life. Denounced as a communist terrorist by critics. He nevertheless gained international acclaim for his activism, having received more than 250 honours, including the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize, the US Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Soviet Order of Lenin and the Bharat Ratna. He is held in deep respect within South Africa, where he is often referred to by his Xhosa clan name, Madiba, o

...