Nelson mandela foundation biography sample

True to his promise, Mandela stepped down in after one term as President. Nelson Mandela never wavered in his devotion to democracy, equality and learning. Despite terrible provocation, he never answered racism with racism. His life is an inspiration to all who are oppressed and deprived; and to all who are opposed to oppression and deprivation.

Nelson Mandela's father died in when Mandela was 12 and his mother died in when he was in prison. While the autobiography Long Walk to Freedom says his father died when he was nine, historical evidence shows it must have been later, most likely In fact, the original Long Walk to Freedom manuscript written on Robben Island states the year aswhen he was Biography of Nelson Mandela.

Nelson Mandela top row, second from left on the steps of Wits University. Nelson Mandela on the roof of Kholvad House in The Treason Trial Mandela was arrested in a countrywide police swoop on 5 Decemberwhich led to the Treason Trial. Madiba travelled with his Ethiopian passport. 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. His first job in was as a security guard on a gold mine and then as a legal clerk in the law firm Witkin, Edelman and Sidelsky. At the same time he completed his BA through Unisa. He was a poor student and became more involved in politics from after he helped to start the ANC Youth League.

He married in the same year and needed money to support his family. By mid when the university asked him to pay the 27 pounds he owed or leave, he already had three children. He only started studying again in in prison. He finally graduated with an LLB through Unisa 27 years later. Later in he became the National Volunteer-in-Chief of the Defiance Campaign against apartheid laws.

Nelson Mandela: Level 4 : [Bibliography]. Leading Lives: Nelson Mandela : [Bibliography]. The freeing of Nelson Mandela: 11 February : [Bibliography]. World Peacemakers: Nelson Mandela : [Bibliography]. The Kingfisher History Encyclopaedia : [Bibliography]. In the freedom of dreams: The story of Nelson Mandela : [Bibliography]. Mandela : The Authorized Portrait : [Bibliography].

Conversations with Myself : [Bibliography]. Viva Mr Mandela : A celebration in words and pictures : [Bibliography]. Mandela : A Construcao de um Homem : [Bibliography]. Biko : A Biography : [Bibliography]. Nelson Mandela: Leading the way : [Bibliography]. Most ordinary South Africans knew little about Mandela during his prison years, as the apartheid government suppressed information, and what was released was biased.

Limited information about Mandela was available from the international press, anti-apartheid activist groups and the Free Nelson Mandela campaign. But prison bars could not prevent him from continuing to inspire his people to struggle and sacrifice for their liberation. Public opinion polls repeatedly showed that he was the most popular leader the country has ever had.

As the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group observed inhe had become "a living legend", galvanising the resistance in his country. He is the most honoured political prisoner in history.

Nelson mandela foundation biography sample

He has received prestigious international awards, the freedom of many cities and honorary degrees from several universities. Musicians have been inspired to compose songs and music in his honour. Major international art exhibits have been dedicated to him and some of the most prominent writers have contributed to books for him and about him.

Even an atomic particle has been named after him. Mandela is a universal symbol of freedom and reconciliation, an icon representing the triumph of the human spirit. During his lifetime he not only dedicated himself to the struggle of the African people, but with his humility, and his spirit of forgiveness, he captured hearts and inspired people all over the world.

As South Africans, we owe it to this great champion of our nation to continue to live by his example. His Xhosa name Rolihlahla literally means "pulling the branch of a tree". After his father's death inthe young Rolihlahla became the ward of Chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo, the acting regent of the Thembu nation. It was at the Thembu royal homestead that his personality, values and political views were shaped.

Hearing the elders' stories of his ancestors' valour during the wars of resistance to colonialism, he dreamed also of making his own contribution to the freedom struggle of his people. After receiving his primary education at a local mission school, where he was given the name Nelson, he was sent to the Clarkebury Boarding Institute for his Junior Certificate and then to Healdtown, a reputable Wesleyan secondary school, where he matriculated.

He was suspended from college for joining a protest boycott, along with Oliver Tambo. Shortly after his return to the royal homestead, he and his cousin, Justice, ran away to Johannesburg to avoid arranged marriages and for a short period he worked as a mine policeman.