MEETING THE GREAT MAN Nelson Mandela 1918-2013 “I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918 in a royal family of a tribe in a South African village in Mvezo, Thembu. Ever since he was a child, he would listen to the resistance war stories from his elders and dreamt with contributing to the cause of liberating his people. It was this way that he found the passion which, through the years, would …show more content…
After a democratic poll, they began preparations for an armed fight, creating The Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the nation) also known as MK, a group of fighters that believed South Africa belonged to everyone who lived there, and not just for a group of black and white people. "Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom of their people." With the name David Motsomayi, on January 11, 1962, Nelson Mandela left South Africa secretly. He traveled through Africa and United Kingdom to gain support for the armed battle, but he was detained by two guards from Howick on August 5 when he was returning from KwaZuu-Natal. He had to complete a 5 year sentence for leaving the country illegally and for promoting strikes among the people. Even when Mandela was incarcerated, his colleagues were giving the movement pushes; but on January 1963, the police found an ANC secret hideout in Rivona, where planning documents for the guerrilla were found; that’s why, on that year, Mandela and some colleagues faced a trial known as the Rivona trial where he was sentenced for the rest of his life. Before entering jail, he had the opportunity to transmit to their people the integrity behind his actions: “I always expected my life would give me the opportunity to serve my people and make my humble contribution to the cause. This is what motivated me to
Nelson Mandela (His birth name is Rolihlahla) on July 18, 1918 in a South African village called Mvezo. He went to a local missionary school where it is not rare for teachers to give African kids English names.One of his teachers gave him the name Nelson. He went to Clarkebury Boarding Institute and Healdtown, a Methodist secondary school. When he was there he was very good at boxing and running track. In 1939 at age 21 he
While in prison many other ANC leaders were also found and arrested. They were all put on trial (Rivonia Trial) for sabotage, treason, and violent conspiracy. Mandela was sentenced to life in prison at the maximum security Robben Island Prison. Although in a maximum-security prison, Mandela was still able to keep in contact with the anti-apartheid movement secretly. For 18 years Mandela stayed at Robben Island, where he lived under harsh conditions with other political leaders. This time spent in the prison changed his attitude and made him become the great political leader that he is today. He realized that violence was not the answer to all his problems. Furthermore, many would think that this imprisonment would hurt the anti-apartheid movement, but in reality it helped much more. Many world leaders demanded that Mandela be
“To deny people their right to human rights is to challenge their very humanity. To impose on them a wretched life of hunger and deprivation is to dehumanize them. But such has been the terrible fate of all black persons in our country under the system of apartheid (“In Nelson Mandela’s own words”). Nelson Mandela was a moral compass symbolizing the struggle against racial oppression. Nelson Mandela emerged from prison after twenty-seven years to lead his country to justice. For twenty-seven years he sat in a cell because he believed in a country without apartheid, a country with freedom and human rights. He fought for a country where all people were equal, treated with respect and given equal opportunity. Nelson Mandela looms large in the
Mandela quoted “There are many people who feel that it is useless and futile for us to continue talking peace and non-violence” suggesting that non-violent protesting will not attract the government’s attention. Mandela undergoes military training in secret in January 1962 and to raise funds for a possible armed fight. His returned to South Africa in July 1962 led to his five years of imprisonment with hard labour for illegally leaving the country. Due to Mandela’s involvement in radical, violent attacks, Mandela and seven other members were sentence to life imprisonment to Robben Island, narrowly avoiding capital punishment at the Rivonia trail. During the trials, Mandela quoted in his Rivonia trial speech “I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” This displays the motives of Mandela into changing the South African society to be equal for
Throughout his public life, he embodied for many people an ideal of persistence, tolerance and personal strength. In my opinion, it is the combination of these qualities that made him an outstanding person and a globally recognized leader. Neither persistence without strength, nor strength without tolerance would suffice to turn around the life of
Following tradition, Mandela 's guardian arranged a marriage for him and Mandela was not so happy with the idea. He thought his freedom was being taken away so he decided to run away to Johannesburg. There he had many jobs and he continued studying to get his degree. Mandela then joined the African National Congress in 1942, him along with a group of young Africans wanted to make a difference. Mandela participated in nonviolent acts of defiance against the government for almost 20 years. Part of this included the 1952 Defiance Campaign and the 1955 Congress of People. In 1956, many people were charged for treason and arrested, Nelson Mandela being one of them. After being released, he was arrested once again in 1961 for 5 years because he was the leader of a strike. In 1963, he was brought to trial again . He had many plans to escape, but the British intellegence force kept ruining them. Being in prison was difficult for Mandela, but he tried to remain helping his people. When President P.W. Botha suffered a stroke, he was replaced by
Mandela was sent to jail due to breaking the laws, but then was released. Mandela was arrested on the day of August 5th 1962. Mandela sentenced five years for leaving the country without passport or incitement. On November 7th 1962 he was sent to Pretoria Local Jail, finally he was transferred to Victor Verster Jail on the day of
Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison 18 of those years incarcerated on Robben Island and the rest at Pollsmoor Prison. While Mandela was on Robben Island he still was a strong symbol for black resistance who was for his release and led an international campaign. Mandela had a global political community that was still growing while he was in prison. That is when the South African government descried to move Mandela and the 10 ANC to another Prison the Pollsmoor Prison. They were hoping to cut off contact between them and the South African Government.
South African apartheid activist Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918. Mandela came from a royal family. Mandela attended law school at Fort Hare, but was suspended in 1940 due to a student protest against bad food they were served. After he was suspended, Mandela and his friend fled for the large city of Johannesburg. Mandela began studying in law firm and planned on becoming a lawyer.
“For to be free is not merely to cast off one 's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others” ("Nelson Mandela." History). Nelson Mandela, a anti-apartheid activist, became one of the world’s most significant freedom fighter. His numerous acts and protests flooded South Africa with immense pride and peace and therefore grew South Africa into a thriving, substantial economy with minimal racial boundaries. Nelson Mandela was a prominent political leader who brought a dynamic end to the apartheid struggle, fought for equal rights of all individuals, and became the nation’s first black South African leader.
After the forming of the MK, Mandela left South Africa for several months to talk with and gain support from the Pan-African Freedom Movement of Eastern and Central Africa (“The Life and Times n.p.). While he was gone, he also trained the first 21 MK recruits in the way of guerilla warfare. Mandela wasn’t able to do much more than this because shortly after his arrival back to South Africa he was arrested and sentenced to five years for leaving the country. When he was serving his time the South African government did a raid on a farm where the MK had been meeting. In this raid they found incriminating documents that showed the guerrilla warfare that the MK was doing or planning on doing. Nelson Mandela and 10 others were sentenced under the Sabotage act of 1962. He then was sentenced to life. (Cummings n.p.)
Nelson Mandela was born to Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa and Nosekeni Fanny, in Mvezo, South Africa to the Xhosa tribe. Ever wondered why his name is Nelson and not any other African tribal name? On the first day of elementary school, Mandela's name was changed from Rolihlahla to Nelson so the teachers could easily pronounce his name. As his school years went on, Nelson went to primary school and was the first of his siblings to get an formal education. Mandela
When arrested he was sent to a high security prison on Robben Island, off the coastline of South Africa, for 26 years. Although, in response, others feel Mandela was a figurehead who inspired other Blacks to fight for their cause. Also he receives credibility for the awareness around the world at the time.
In the village of Qunu, in the Transkei, South Africa on July 18, 1918, future South African president, Nelson Mandela, was born by his father, Chief Godla Henry Mphakanyiswa, and his mother, Nosekeni Fanny. His father had always planned that one day his son would take his rightful place as a tribal leader, however, later in the years when Mandela was just nine-years-old his father passed away, making Mandela become a ward of the tribe's acting regent who sought to ward off the attack by appeasement, or even by collaborationist activities. “The military wing of the ANC, the Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation), created by Mandela, took a part of targeting and sabotaging government facilities, destruction of power plants, and interfering with rail and telephone communications. What Mandela tried to gain from this was to keep the foreign capital away and cut the external economic and trade links which were propping up the apartheid regime. His plan did not follow through how he wanted, and he and his colleagues were quickly arrested and put on trial,” (Vikas 4). On October 30, 1963, the “often referred to as ‘the trial that changed South Africa,’ (Pambili Productions) Rivonia Trial had begun. All of the accused received four charges; “The first one being recruiting persons for training in the preparation and use of explosives and in guerrilla warfare for the purpose of violent revolution and committing acts of sabotage; second, conspiring to commit the aforementioned acts and to aid foreign military units when they invaded the Republic; third, acting in these ways to further the objects of communism; and fourth, soliciting and receiving money for these purposes from sympathisers in Algeria, Ethiopia, Liberia, Nigeria, Tunisia, and elsewhere,”
Nelson Mandela was born on July 18,1918 in a small village called Qunu, located in the Transkei Territory in South Africa (Denenberg 5). Nelson was the youngest out of four children in his family (Denenberg 5). Nelson and his father cared for their cattle, and when needed, Nelson would help by plowing the fields (Denenberg 5). During Nelson’s free time, he loved playing soccer, and learning how to hunt and fight with sticks (Denenberg 5). As a