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Nelson Mandela-secondary

Page history last edited by PBworks 17 years, 4 months ago

Nelson Mandela

 


 

Timeline of Nelson Mandela's life

 

BBC timeline

PBS Frontline chronology

Nelson Mandela: online audio history

 

The Early Years

 

Nelson Mandela was born in 1918 South Africa into the Tembu tribe of which his father Henry Mandela was the Chief. He graduated from law school in 1942 and joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 1944, a political organisation that petitioned against Apartheid and fought for equal rights for all Africans.

 

Mandela was arrested and tried for treason in 1956 but was acquitted after four years in 1961. The ruling National Party outlawed the ANC in 1960, which forced members underground but did not stop Mandela from pursuing his political fight. He never lost hope and wrote in his 1994 memoire, Long Walk To Freedom,

 

“It was ANC policy to try to educate all people, even our enemies: we believed that all men, even prison service warders, were capable of change, and we did our utmost to try to sway them.”

 

His Experiences in Prison

 

Nelson Mandela received a life sentence of hard labour in 1964 after being charged with attempting to overthrow the government. He spent 18 years in Robben Island Prison before being transferred to Pollsmoor Prison on the mainland in 1982. Mandela was released in 1990 after 27 years behind bars.

 

During his time in Robben Island Prison Mandela remembers eating not much more than ground mealie, a rice and water mixture with the consistency of a thick soup. There was the occasional vegetable or piece of meat with the evening meal but the vegetables were often old and the meat mostly gristle. There was no hot water so prisoners were forced to shower in cold salt water and toilets consisted of a metal bucket in the corner of their cells.

 

Mandela for President

 

After being released in 1990 the National Party lifted its ban on the ANC and Mandela was elected the ANC’s president. At this time South African President, de Klerk, began political talks with Mandela in the hope of creating a multi-racial democracy and in 1994 South Africa’s first democratic elections were held, where all races were entitled to vote. The ANC won 252 of the 400 seats, making Mandela their first black President. Both de Klerk and Mandela won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for their efforts at ending Apartheid and promoting human rights.

 

South Africa's Road to Democracy

 

 

Apartheid, Democracy and Human Rights in South Africa

 

Prior to the birth of democracy in South Africa the white minority ruled and a socio-political system called Apartheid applied. Apartheid was a complex system of racial segregation, where the black majority were discriminated against and had their human rights violated.

 

Apartheid included a ban on interracial marriages and promoted the segregation of public spaces, which included everything from parks and train carriages to water fountains and toilets.

 

A ‘pass’ system was introduced and required black South Africans to carry a passport-sized book on them at all times. These ‘passes’ included personal information about employment, marriage status, and family. They outlined where the pass holder was allowed to go and where they were supposed to be at certain times. Those found to be in violation of their ‘pass’ could be arrested and detained.

 

Many black Africans also lost land and other capital during Apartheid, where the ruling class seized prime agricultural land and forced blacks to live in townships on the outskirts of cities. Poverty ran rife through these townships as there was very little money invested in infrastructure, education, or healthcare.

 

Apartheid violated Africans’ human rights by preventing them from living free from racial discrimination and arbitrary detention, whilst also denying them the right to freedom of association, freedom of speech, and freedom of movement.

 

The end of Apartheid and the beginning of democracy saw all Africans afforded their civil liberties, including the right to vote and the right to legal recourse. However, despite anti-discrimination legislation and policy designed to compensate the black population, there still remains economic and social inequality between whites and blacks that may take many years to overcome.

 

Mandela's Challenges

 

Professionally, Mandela faced many challenges once elected President. One of his biggest was housing. The vast amount of people living in impoverished townships meant it would take time and a lot of investment before adequate housing and infrastructure could be provided. Poverty and townships still exist today.

 

Mandela was also faced with the task of negotiating reconciliation between whites and blacks. He did so by creating the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which was set up to document South Africa’s human rights abuse, consider evidence from victims in open courts and then make recommendations on reparations for victims. Whilst the TRC has enjoyed much success, there have also been delays in compensation and reporting because of court appeals, and many individuals who were found to have taken part in gross human rights abuse are yet to be prosecuted.

 

 

 

Quotes

Nelson Mandela quotes on wikiquote

 

"For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others."

 

"I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying."

 

"During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. 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."

 

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world"

 

Recent speeches

recent speeches - Nelson Mandela

 

Useful websites

 

The Long Walk of Nelson Mandela

Profile on PBS Frontline website: features interviews, timeline, profile of different stages of his life

 

online audio history

 

Nelson Mandela page

Speeches, Statements, Writings and Photographs

 

biography on Nobel prize winners' page

 

Wikipedia entry

 

BBC profile

 

United Nations'Images from Apartheid

 

 

 

Links to images

Nelson Mandela page

 

Sources

 

Amnesty Report on Truth and Reconciliation Commission

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