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Nelson Mandela Speech

Decent Essays

An anti-apartheid activist, politician, philanthropist, and South Africa’s first black president who suffered nearly three decades in prison: Nelson Mandela, born as Rolihlahla Mandela on 18 July 1918 was no ordinary African. Mandela was a hero of our Catholic faith, who followed the beatitudes as a peacemaker who believed in peaceful solutions, even when he was persecuted for righteousness’ sake. He resulted to violence only when necessary, and if given the chance to enact on revenge, he always chose against vengeance. Furthermore, when Mandela was thrown in prison and punished countless times, he never lost sight of what was right and what he had to do to do the right thing. Nelson Mandela was a hero and continues to be an undying spirit reminding us of the power of peace and courage.
The political life of Nelson Mandela, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and former president of South Africa starts at his childhood. Mandela’s father, Nkosi Mphakanyiswa Gadla Mandela, was a principal counsellor to the King of the Thembu people, Jongintaba Dalindyebo. Unfortunately, at the age of twelve years old, Mandela lost his father to lung cancer, and he became a ward of Jongintaba at the Great Place in Mqhekezweni. When he heard the elders’ stories of his ancestor's courage during the wars of resistance, he dreamed of making his own contribution to the freedom struggle of his people who faced apartheid discrimination. So, he continued to study with what he called “plain hard work”

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