NELSON MANDELA
Writer,President(non-u.s),Civil Rights Activist(1918-2013)
There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.-Mandela
Who was Nelson Mandela?
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela(July 18, 1918-December 5,2013)was a nonviolence anti-apartheid activist, politician and philanthropist who became South-Africa’s first black president from 1994-1999.Becoming actively involved in the anti-apartheid movement in his 20s,Mandela joined the African Congress in 1942.For 20 years,he directed a campaign of peaceful,nonviolent defiance against the South-African government & its racist policies.Beginning in 1962, Mandela spent 27 years in prison for political offenses. IN 1993, Mandela and South-African President F.W. de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to dismantle the country’s apartheid system. For generations to come,Nelson Mandela will continue to be a source of inspiration for civil rights activists worldwide.
When and Where was Nelson Mandela Born?
Nelson Mandela was born Rolihlahla Mandela on july 18, 1918, in tiny village of Mvezo, on the banks of the Mbashe River in Transkei, South Africa.”Rolihlahla” in the Xhosa language literally means “pulling the branch of a tree,” but morecommonly translates as “troublemaker.”
Family & Early Life
Nelson Mandela’s father, who was destined to be a chief, served as a counselor to tribal chiefs for several years, but lost both his title & fortune over a dispute with local colonial magistrate.Mandela was only an infant at the time,& his father’s loss of status forced his mother to move the family to Qunu, an even smaller village north of Mvezo. The family lived in huts & ate local harvest of Maize,sorghum,pumpkin and beans,which was all they could afford. Water came from springs and streams and cooking was done outdoors. Mandela played the games of young boys,he went on to become the first in his family to attend school. As was custom at the time, & probably due to the bias of the British educational system in South-Africa,Mandela’s teacher told him that his new first name would be Nelson.
Children & Wife
Mandela was married three times and had six children.He wed his first wife,Evelyn Ntoko Mase,in 1944. The couple had four children together:Madiiba Thembekile(d.1964),Makgatho(d.2005),Makaziwe (d.1948 at nine months old) and Maki.The couple divorced in 1957.In,1958, Mandela wed Winnie Madikizela;the couple had two daughters together,Zenani (now Argentina’s South African’s ambassador) & Zindziswa(the south african ambassador to denmark),before splitting in 1996.Two years later, in 1998,Mandela married Graca Machel, the first education minister of Mozambique, with whom he remained until his death in 2013.
Movie & books
IN,1994,Mandela published his autobiography,Long Walk to Freedom, much of which he had secretly written while in prison.The book inspired the 2013 movie Mandela:Long Walk to Freedom.He also published a number of books on his life and struggles, among them No Easy Walk to Freedom;Nelson Mandela:The struggle Is My Life; and Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folktales.
Mandela Day
IN 2009, Mandela’s birthday(July 18th) was declared Mandela Day, an international day to promote global peace and celebrate the South-African leader’s legacy.According to the Nelson Mandela Centre Of Memory, the annual event is meant to encourage citizens worldwide to give back the way that Mandela has throughout his lifetime.
When & How did Nelson Mandela Die?
On December 5, 2013,at the age of 95, Nelson Mandela died at his home in Johannesburg, South-Africa.After suffering a lung infection in January 2011, Mandela was briefly hospitalized in Johannesburrg to undergo surgery for a stomach ailment in early 2012. He was released after a few days, later returning to Qunu. Mandela would be hospitalized many times over next several years-in December 2012, March 2013 and june 2013- for further testing and medical treatment relating to his recurrent lung infection.
Nelson Mandela was born 100 years ago today.HE continues to inspire.
