Nelson Mandela
Poonam Jayarajan - lasanta.com.ec
Childhood Nelson Mandela was originally named Rolihlahla. He was born on 18 July 1918 in a little town called Mvezo near Umtata. Mandela was born a member of the tribe Xhosa. Because of that he was very focused on education. Xhosas have always been focused on fighting apartheid. Mandela´s dad was a chief. Mandela thought that his dad´s job was fascinating. He followed him around on his job. He was very fascinated and at an early age he decided that he would be a lawyer. Family life Nelson Mandela had five children: Madiba Thembekile Mandela, Makaziwe Mandela, Makgatho Lewanika Mandela, Makaziwe Mandela, Zenani Mandela and Zindziswa Mandela. He also had three wives: Evelyn Ntoko Mase (1944-1957), Winnie Madikzela (1958-1996) and Grace Machel. Grace and he was married until he died. Education and ANC Rolihlahla Mandela was a well-educated man. He was a great believer in education and life-long learning. He came from a tribe called the Xhosas. The Xhosas have always been very interested in education. Mission School was the first school he attended, and there he was named "Nelson". When he had finished the last year at the local school, the chief wanted him go to university. Fort Hare College was a place for the best black students, but before he finished his exams he was expelled, he was told to leave and Nelson’s education took a change of direction. He went to Johannesburg to live. In 1942 in Johannesburg Nelson joined the “African National Congress” but it seemed that the leaders did not do enough. That led him to work to make a different. Nelson’s university life was interrupted by his work for the ANC. He and his friend Oliver Tambo opened the first black law firm in South Africa, where all black people in South Africa could get free advice.
Imprisonment Nelson Mandela was sent to jail for trying to fight for his rights and to stop violence between white and black people. In jail there did not happen that much, but in the spring of 1968 after being nearly four years in jail, Nelson Mandela, for the first time, got a visit from his mother. She had traveled for several days from her village in the Transkei to see her son. A few weeks later he got a message that his mother had died suddenly of a heart attack. He asked for permission to attend the funeral, but the answer was no. In 1965 he was sentenced to a life-long time in prison, but came out again on 11 February 1990. Presidency In 1994 Nelson became the president of South Africa. He spent a lot of time making peace and he made sure that blacks and whites talked and became okay with each other. He once said that without forgiveness there is no future, but without confession there will be no forgiveness and he was right. We cannot make the world any better when we keep on fighting each other. Revenge does not help a bit. In all Mandela´s time as a president he fought for peace and he continued when he retired in 1999. Later life South Africa's former President Nelson Mandela died in 2013 at the age of 95. He was loved and respected throughout the world for his gift to bind South Africa together to a new democracy after years with apartheid. He fought for the right cause and we hope that apartheid will stay a closed chapter forever.
Written by Sophie and Helene