Who was Nelson Mandela?
When Nelson Mandela was a young man, white and black people in South Africa weren’t allowed to do things together and had to live separate lives under a system called apartheid. White people, who were a small part of the population, were in charge of everything in South Africa.
It was illegal for black people to use the same things or go to the same places as white people and white people had access to better schools and hospitals. Black people were also denied basic rights, like being allowed to vote in elections.
But, Nelson Mandela believed that everybody should be treated equally.
Mandela joined a political party called the African National Congress (ANC) and later co-founded the ANC Youth League, leading protests against apartheid. Sometimes demonstrations or the action taken in the name of civil rights were violent and in 1964, Mandela was sentenced to life in prison and spent time on Robben Island.
Robben Island is an island north of the South African city of Cape Town, it was the site of a prison used for over 300 years, many of its prisoners were political. While Mandela was in prison, photos of him were banned and it was even illegal to quote him in public.
But people from all over the world campaigned for his release. Songs were written and big concerts were held in protest.
Finally, in 1990, the South African President FW de Klerk – a white man – allowed him to go free. Mandela had spent 27 years in jail and was greeted as a hero on his release. Mandela was finally a free man and, at that moment, South Africa changed forever.
He is famous for promoting a message of forgiveness and equality.
Apartheid was abolished a year later in 1991, and three years after that, South Africa held its first fully-democratic elections in which black people, as well as white, were allowed to vote.
Mandela became South Africa’s first black president and set about trying to bring people of different races together.
“Everyone can rise above their circumstances and achieve success if they are dedicated to and passionate about what they do.”
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
Sources:
- https://youtu.be/qiHtROcjd6M
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/25263229
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/2/10/30-years-since-mandela-was-freed-where-does-south-africa-stand
- https://www.britannica.com/list/nelson-mandela-quotes
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