Nelson Mandela
Anti-Apartheid Activist and Politician
(18th July 1918 – 5th December 2013)
Peace Quotes
Background
Nelson Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and dreamed of making his own contribution to the freedom struggle of his people after hearing the elders’ stories of his ancestors’ valour during the wars of resistance. In 1944, he joined the African National Congress (ANC) – a political group that strived for equal rights for whites and blacks, and became an important figure in the ANC as he helped set up and lead a section for young people called the ANC Youth League.
He later travelled the country to gain support for non-violent protests against the National Party’s racist laws and was later arrested for treason several times. While he was under arrest in the late 1950s, the government banned anti-apartheid groups such as the ANC. This didn’t stop Mandela and his fellow activists as they felt more had to be done to bring about change. In August 1962, he was arrested on his return from a trip to Algeria in Northern Africa, and spent the next 27 years in prison. Throughout his time behind bars, he didn’t give up on what he believed in and even refused freedom on two occasions, instead choosing to stand by his principles.
In 1990, he was officially released from prison. In 1991, he became President of the ANC and worked with FW de Klerk to bring an end to apartheid in a harmonious way as well as introducing equal rights for everyone. Their work towards making South Africa a more peaceful place won the pair the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. In 1999, Mandela retired as South African President and went on to receive the prestigious EMMA Lifetime Achievement Award thereafter in London.
He continued to be an important figure around the world as a symbol of peace and equality and became a founding member of the Elders, a group of international leaders established in 2007 for the promotion of conflict resolution and problem solving throughout the world. After suffering from a prolonged respiratory infection, Mandela sadly died on 5th December 2013 at the age of 95.
