World Literature
Introduction
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born on July 18th, 1918 into the Madiba clan in Mvezo, Transkei.
His original name was Rolihlahla but his teacher gave him the name Nelson. His father was a chief that was accused of corrupting with the white government. He was laid off for a while and after a few years; he developed lung disease and passed away when Nelson Mandela was 12 years old. Nelson Mandela’s mother was poor and could not take care of him. Consequently he was adopted by Chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo and his wife. Nelson Mandela was interested in a wide variety of subjects as a youngster. As get matured and became more aware of the inequities in South African society he becomes more interested in anti-imperialism.
Mandela’s Education and the Start of Civil Disobedience
Nelson Mandela was an intellectual and had a good foundational education. He had the opportunity to attend the University of Fort Hare. While there he studied anthropology, politics and English. He was interested in these subjects because they provided a window into how the South African society functioned. Unfortunately Nelson Mandela did not finish his degree at the University of Fort Hare because he participated in a demonstration regarding the quality of food being served to students on the university campus.. After college Mandela was involved in a number of civil disobedience activities. He also participated in organizations that sought to combat the inequities that were inherent in the apartheid system. For example, Nelson Mandela was active in the Native Labour Association and the African National Congress Youth League.
Mandela’s Personal Life
Nelson Mandela was a family man. He was married three times. His first marriage, which was arranged by Chief Jongintaba, was to Evelyn Mase. From this union came two son named Thembi and Makgtho; one daughter named Makaziwe. His second marriage was to Winnie Madikizela–Mandela. From this union came two daughters. Nelson Mandela’s third marriage was to Graca Machel, the widow of the former president of Mozambique, Samora Machel. No children were born to this union. Due to his political activism and incarceration on Robins Island Mandela was not able to spend much time with his children.
Leading the Fight Against Apartheid
Apartheid was a political and social system in South Africa that was put in place by the white minority rule. In the system, the people of South Africa were divided based on race and were forced to live apart from each other. The apartheid system promoted an unequal distribution of the financial, natural, and technical and education resources in South Africa. Blacks were treated very unfairly under the apartheid system. The apartheid system was wrong because the government segregated everything between black and white people. To combat the apartheid system, Mandela and the African National Congress began leading protests and boycotts against the hated policies. Mandela was a member of the African National Congress; it was the largest civil rights group in South Africa. Mandela was just a member; he did not have a special position in the group. After Mandela started to fight the system, the white people began to arrest and kill the black South Africans.
Political Prisoner: Incarceration on Robins Island
A political prisoner is a person who is imprisoned for their personal beliefs or actions. Nelson Mandela was a threat to the South African government because he influenced so many people to follow him that they could have taken over the government. Nelson Mandela went to jail on Robben Island in 1964 and was incarcerated for 27 years. The types of things he did in jail include: running, push-ups, and hammering stones gravel. Nelson Mandela was treated badly on Robben’s Island; he rarely got any food and was not able to attend funerals of his family members. Some of the people who were in jail with Nelson Mandela are Ahmed Kathrada and Saths Cooper.
From Prisoner to President
Nelson Mandela became president on May 10th 1994. Immediately after becoming president, Mandela focused on world peace and the fight against HIV/Aids of small children Mandela was president for 6 years. The man who replaced him after he stepped down was Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki. He reshaped the public image of South Africa by showing that he was capable of changing the society of his people.
Cited References
1. Nelson Mandela, A Hero’s Journey, Time Magazine, 2013, December
2. Nelson Mandela Foundation (2013, December 17). Biography of Nelson Mandela
Retrieved from http://www.nelsonmandela.org/content/page/biography
References: 1. Nelson Mandela, A Hero’s Journey, Time Magazine, 2013, December 2. Nelson Mandela Foundation (2013, December 17). Biography of Nelson Mandela Retrieved from http://www.nelsonmandela.org/content/page/biography
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