There are few people in the world who truly deserve the title of ‘hero.’
But today the world has lost someone who is exactly that. Nelson Mandela, the former President of South Africa, who has been a symbol of resistance, peace and moral leadership for decades died today at the age of 95.
Mandela’s unwavering commitment to fighting apartheid and oppression in South Africa won him love and respect the world over.
His support of countless international humanitarian causes over many decades only further exemplified the power of compassion and conviction this man had.
Each and every one of us, regardless of nationality, gender or age, can take something from his legacy.
So let’s take a moment today, as we mourn his passing, to also remember and acknowledge the tremendous contribution Mandela made to our world.
Nelson Mandela was born as Rolihlahla Mandela on July 18, 1918 in the South African province of Transkei. His father, known as Henry, was a principal counsellor to the Thembu royal family. Mandela was the first member of his family to attend school, and it was a teacher at his primary school in Qunu who gave him the English name Nelson.
Mandela commenced a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Fort Hare, but was asked to leave when he joined in a student boycott of university policy. He eventually completed his Bachelor of Arts through the University of South Africa and studied law at the University of Witwatersrand. He later founded a law firm, Mandela and Tambo, with his friend and fellow Fort Hare alumni Oliver Tambo. The pair provided low-cost counsel to black Africans who could not afford representation.
In 1944 Mandela joined the African National Congress (ANC), a multi-racial nationalist movement advocating change within South Africa, and was instrumental in forming the ANC Youth League.
Following the 1948 election, the Afrikaner-dominated National Party came to power and began implementing laws of apartheid – i.e. forced segregation based on race – causing the ANC to stage a passive resistance campaign.
As the government’s discrimination intensified, the organisation began to adopt the more radical approach advocated by the Youth League including boycotts, strikes and civil disobedience. Mandela, inspired by the ethos of Mahatma Ghandi, aimed for non-violent resistance. In 1956, he and 150 fellow activists were tried for treason; the trial lasted five years and resulted in their acquittal.
The Sharpeville Massacre in 1960, in which police opened fire during an anti-apartheid demonstration, killing 69 people, provoked the Government to declare a state of emergency and ban the activities of the ANC. In response, the ANC abandoned its policy of non-violence. Mandela co-founded the organisation’s armed military wing, ‘Spear of the Nation’, after his proposal in favour of adopting violent tactics was approved.
In 1962, Mandela was arrested and sentenced to five years in jail for orchestrating a workers’ strike and leaving the country illegally. He was brought to trial again in 1963 and, along with a group of ANC figures, was sentenced to life imprisonment for sabotage and other political offences. His statement from the dock ended with the following, now immortal, words:
“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.”
During his 27 years in jail, where he was largely subject to hard labour, Mandela’s international reputation as a symbol of resistance grew. Although he was offered release in 1985, Mandela refused to compromise his political position and commitment to armed resistance in exchange for freedom.
The South African government came under intense pressure both within Africa and abroad for his release, and Mandela finally walked free in February 1990. The ban on the ANC was simultaneously abolished by president F.W. de Klerk, and in 1991 Mandela became the party’s leader.
After two years of peaceful negotiations in the face of violent massacres and assassinations, Mandela and de Klerk jointly received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. Their efforts eventually led to the end of apartheid and the development of a constitution for a democratic government free of racial discrimination.
At the age of 75, Mandela became South Africa’s first black president in the country’s first multi-racial election in 1994, with de Klerk as his deputy. During his presidency, which he voluntarily retired from in 1999, reconciling racial tensions remained a priority.
Post presidency, Mandela used his influence to support a number of humanitarian causes, primarily the fight against AIDS (the disease which claimed the life of one of his sons in 2005) and world poverty. He retired from public life in 2004.
His endless campaign for the freedom of his people and his unwavering commitment to justice mean that Mandela will never be forgotten. His contribution to making our world a more free and equal place is unparalleled.
Vale Nelson Mandela.
Top Comments
One of my most precious memories will forever be meeting Nelson Mandela on his trip to Sydney in 2000 and to have spent an hour with him. To be with him was to truly be in the presence of greatness. He was a master storyteller too! To me he was and always will personify integrity.
How did you get that opportunity? What a fantastic experience to have.
Wow how amazing. Watching some of the docos on him last night you could see he could really talk and relate to people from all walks of life from World Leaders to little kids to disadvantaged and he really gave them his time. So special.
Must be so fantastic to have met one of the greatest people of our time!
He did some amazing things for world peace and for that we should be forever grateful. But this article does not acknowledge his crimes as leader of what was essentially a terrorist organization. His endeavors were certainly heroic, but heroes always have flaws in reality. By recognizing that he wasn't perfect and acknowledging his past crimes we could begin to make some progress towards real peace in the world. That terrorism is in some ways in the eye of the beholder. And that the ends don't justify the means. That a hero can be someone to believe in, but also someone to learn from. But most importantly, that a man who isn't perfect can make a contribution to the world as great as what Mandela did. I understand this is not a popular opinion. But perhaps the true legacy of Nelson Mandela is not an ideal, but something even more tangible.
Kate, you are right to a point, in his early days he certainly was a different man, I also found the articles definition of the ANC curious, but the man died today and best to let a few things go unsaid. I was appalled at the behaviour of some in the UK upon news of the passing of Baroness Thatcher, if for nothing else than for her family, the classy left, so on a day like today lets remember the good things, of which there are many. History can be examined in a more detailed way at a more appropriate time. I'm sure it will be.
Well excuse you me, but the chap just died and it's not entirely appropriate to be kicking up a stink about the lack of recognition of his past crimes in an article posted on a blog. It's not an encyclopedia, it's an opinion piece recognizing what he did for the world.
Anyway he headed spear of the nation because the ANC had exhausted nearly every other possibility. You try living in a country where children are murdered daily by a government that isn't too big on diplomacy.
Look, his faults can be argued another day, but for now lets celebrate his extraordinary contribution to world peace.
Well said, Kate. I agree with you 100%. There was so much he did right but also a lot of things he could have done differently. Rather than hero worshipping, his life should be looked at from all sides. There is a lot we can learn from all that he did; the good and the bad.
First, not waxing lyrical about someone is not the same as "kicking up a stink". Second, he may have exhausted every option, but that same line of reasoning has been used by many that are still condemned as terrorists. I pass no judgement on what is right or wrong on the matter, I merely suggest we can learn from his triumphs as well as his errors. And third, I agree that his life should be celebrated, which I said throughout my comment including in the first sentence. And finally, I think his legacy can be more if viewed in its entirety and not only through rose coloured glasses. I understand this is not popular opinion, (as I said in my original comment), but it is my opinion which I am expressing on an opinion site, (not a blog). You are welcome to disagree.
Kate 76