Nelson Mandela E-Book

50MINUTES

• Herausgeber: 50Minutes.com
• Kategorie: Sachliteratur, Reportagen, Biografien
• Serie: History
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 33

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Beschreibung

Keen to learn but short on time? Get to grips with the life of Nelson Mandela in next to no time with this concise guide.

50Minutes.com provides a clear and engaging analysis of Nelson Mandela’s lifelong fight against apartheid. This system of racial segregation was enshrined in law in South Africa in 1948 and relegated non-white individuals to the position of second-class citizens. As part of the African National Congress, Mandela fought against this racist system and was eventually imprisoned for his beliefs. After his release in 1991, he played a major role in South Africa’s transition to democracy and in the reconciliation process between the country’s different racial communities. He went on to become the country’s first black president, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his contribution to the end of apartheid.

In just 50 minutes you will:
• Learn about the work of the African National Congress, including its armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe
• Find out about Mandela’s role in the fight against apartheid and his influence on activists around the world
• Understand the progress South Africa has made since the abolition of apartheid in 1991 and the challenges it is still facing

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Leseprobe

Nelson Mandela

Born: 18 July 1918 in Mvezo (Cape Province).Died: 5 December 2013 in Johannesburg.Main achievements:The fight against apartheidThe creation of Umkhonto we Sizwe (“Spear of the Nation”), the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC), in 1960Major contribution to the transition to democracy (1990-1994)President of South Africa (1994-1998) following the country’s first democratic electionsKey role in the reconciliation process

When Nelson Mandela was released from prison after 27 years on 11 February 1990, the eyes of the world were on South Africa. He was the most iconic figure in the fight against apartheid, the political regime established in 1948 which institutionalised racial segregation in all aspects of life in South Africa. Images of his release were broadcast across the world and inspired hope of a better future for the country.

When he left prison, his fist raised in a victory salute and welcomed by an enthusiastic crowd, his last speech before he was sentenced was at the forefront of everyone’s minds:

“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.” (nelsonmandela.org)

The extraordinary story of Nelson Mandela – who also went by the name Madiba, in homage to his ancestors’ clan – was far from over. After his release, he played an important role in the negotiations between his party, the ANC, and the South African regime, which resulted in the dismantling of apartheid and the organisation of the country’s first democratic elections. When he was elected president of the new “Rainbow Nation” in 1994, he faced the difficult task of leading South Africa down the long and bumpy road to reconciliation, assuaging the fears of the country’s white citizens and fulfilling the hopes of its black citizens.

Biography

Portrait of Nelson Mandela.

“Troublemaker”

Rolihlahla Mandela was born on 18 July 1918 in the village of Mvezo in the Bantustan of Transkei (Cape Province). Loosely translated, his first name means “pulling the branch of a tree”, or more colloquially “troublemaker” in Xhosa. He had royal ancestry, as his father was a nobleman of the Thembu dynasty, one of the largest Xhosa tribes.

At the age of 7, he went to a Methodist school, making him the first member of his family to receive a formal education. When his father died two years later, he was taken in by the Thembu regent. In accordance with tradition, he was set to become an advisor to the future king.

Did you know?

Mandela’s English name Nelson was given to him by his first schoolteacher.

At the age of 19, Mandela continued his education in another Methodist school in Fort Beaufort, before beginning his studies at the University of Fort Hare. However, he was expelled in his second year for taking part in a student protest. He then went back to his village, where another disaster awaited him: the King had chosen a fiancée for him. To escape this arranged marriage, he fled to Johannesburg in 1941.

Joining the ANC

Mandela’s ambition was to become a lawyer. He took a correspondence course in law at the University of Witwatersrand and obtained a position at a lawyers’ firm thanks to Walter Sisulu (ANC leader, 1912-2003). This encounter had a decisive impact on his future: because of Sisulu, Mandela joined the ANC, a party founded to defend the interests of South Africa’s black community. At this time, he also met Evelyn Mase (1922-2004), whom he married in 1944 and with whom he had four children.