Hello & welcome to another edition of the GK Nugget. We’re
turning back the pages of history today, and the date I’m talking about is 18th
July 1918. In a small village called Mvezo in South Africa, to the Madiba clan,
was born a boy called Rolihlahla, who went on to be known to the world as
Nelson Mandela.
The South Africa that Mandela grew up & lived in was
very different from what it is today. White people were in charge of running
the country & had access to all the privileges and facilities while the
black people were denied many basic rights – like voting in elections or using
the same schools, hospitals and even beaches as the white people. This system
of differentiation between people based on the colour of their skin was called “Apartheid”.
Mandela attended primary school in Qunu, where his
teacher, Miss Mdingane, gave him the name Nelson, in accordance with the custom
of giving all schoolchildren “Christian” names.
A two-year diploma in law allowed Mandela to practice
law, and in August 1952 he and Oliver Tambo established South Africa’s first
black law firm, Mandela & Tambo.
He joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 1944,
eventually becoming deputy national president in 1952. He devoted the major
portion of his life working to abolish Apartheid.
In 1964, he was convicted for sabotage as a result of his
participation in the struggle against apartheid. He spent the next 27 years in
jail, but remained a symbol of hope to South Africa's non-white majority.
In 1980 Oliver Tambo introduced a “Free Nelson Mandela”
campaign that made the jailed leader a household name and fueled the growing
international outcry against South Africa’s racist regime.
He wrote the draft of his autobiography, "Long Walk To Freedom", and smuggled it out of prison. The autobiography was
published five years post his release. He is famous for promoting a message of
forgiveness and equality. Robben Island, where Mandela was imprisoned for 18 of
the 27 years, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999.
Released in 1990, he was elected President of South
Africa in 1994 in the first election in which all races participated. Apartheid
was abolished in 1991.
In 1995 South Africa held its first major sports
competition, the Rugby World Cup. Mandela gave his support to the South African
team, made up mostly of white men, which helped to unite the country.
In 1999, he stepped down after serving as President for one
term (As he had promised he would) and continued to work towards combating poverty
& HIV/AIDS through the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
He passed away on 5th December 2013 in Johannesburg,
South Africa at the age of 95. The official memorial service was held on 10th
December and was attended by 91 Heads of states & governments & 10
retired Presidents.
As a sign of respect, many South Africans refer to Nelson
Mandela as Madiba, his Xhosa clan name.
Invictus, the 2009 film starring Morgan Freeman as
Mandela, is the name of a William Ernest Henley poem that provided Mandela
inspiration during his 27 years in prison. The poem, about never giving up,
resonated with Mandela for its lines "I am the master of my fate. I am the
captain of my soul."
From Cape Town to California, streets named after Mandela
abound. But he's also been the subject of some rather unusual tributes. Scientists
named a prehistoric woodpecker after him: Australopicus nelsonmandelai.
Before tying the knot with Mandela on his 80th birthday,
Graca Machel (She was Mandela’s 3rd wife) was married to Mozambique
President Samora Machel. Her marriage to Mandela after her husband's death
means she has been the first lady of two nations.
When Mandela was eluding authorities during his fight
against apartheid, he disguised himself in various ways, including as a
chauffeur. The press nicknamed him "the Black Pimpernel" because of
his police evasion tactics.
Besides politics, Mandela's other passion was boxing.
In 2009, the United Nations adopted July 18th
as Nelson Mandela International Day in recognition of his contribution to peace
& freedom. It called on individuals to donate 67 minutes to doing something
for others, commemorating the 67 years that Mandela had been a part of the
movement
Nelson Mandela has received over 250 awards, orders and
decorations. Most notable among these being the Nobel Peace Prize (1993), the
US Presidential Medal of Freedom (2002), the Soviet Union's Lenin Peace Prize
(1990), the Indian Bharat Ratna (1990) and the Pakistani Nishan-e-Pakistan
(1992).
Some of his famous quotes which are an inspiration even
today:
I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but
the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he
who conquers that fear.
It always seems impossible until it's done.
Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many
times I fell down and got back up again.
That’s all on this edition of the GK Nugget.
