Freedom fighter, prisoner, moral compass and South Africa's symbol of the struggle against racial oppression. That was Nelson Mandela, who emerged from prison after 27 years to lead his country out of decades of apartheid. He died Thursday night at age His message of reconciliation, not vengeance, inspired the world after he negotiated a peaceful end to segregation and urged forgiveness for the white government that imprisoned him. Mandela, a former president, battled health issues in recent years, including a recurring lung infection that led to numerous hospitalizations.
Despite rare public appearances, he held a special place in the consciousness of the nation and the world. We saw in him what we seek in ourselves. Mandela became the nation's conscience as it healed from the scars of apartheid. His defiance of white minority rule and long incarceration for fighting against segregation focused the world's attention on apartheid, the legalized racial segregation enforced by the South African government until More Videos Zuma: This is a moment of deepest sorrow Nelson Mandela in his own words In his lifetime, he was a man of complexities.
He went from a militant freedom fighter, to a prisoner, to a unifying figure, to an elder statesman. Years after his retirement from the presidency, Mandela was considered the ideal head of state. He became a yardstick for African leaders, who consistently fell short when measured against him. Warm, lanky and charismatic in his silk, earth-toned dashikis, he was quick to admit to his shortcomings, endearing him further in a culture in which leaders rarely do.
Former South African President F. I was well-briefed," he said. By the ramrod straightness of his stature, and realized that this is a very special man. He had an aura around him. He's truly a very dignified and a very admirable person. For many South Africans, he was simply Madiba, his traditional clan name.
Others affectionately called him Tata, the word for father in his Xhosa tribe. Mandela last appeared in public during the World Cup hosted by South Africa. His absences from the limelight and frequent hospitalizations left the nation on edge, prompting Zuma to reassure citizens every time he fell sick.
When he was around, South Africans had faith that their leaders would live up to the nation's ideals, according to Johnson. There are telling nuggets of Mandela's character in the many autobiographies about him. An unmovable stubbornness. A quick, easy smile. An even quicker frown when accosted with a discussion he wanted no part of.
Despite chronic political violence before the vote that put him in office in , South Africa avoided a full-fledged civil war in its transition from apartheid to multiparty democracy. The peace was due in large part to the leadership and vision of Mandela and de Klerk.
Mandela represented a new breed of African liberation leaders, breaking from others of his era such as Robert Mugabe by serving one term. In neighboring Zimbabwe, Mugabe has been president since A lot of African leaders overstayed their welcomes and remained in office for years, sometimes decades, making Mandela an anomaly.
Until , the United States had placed him and other members of the African National Congress on its terror list because of their militant fight against the apartheid regime. Rolihlahla Mandela started his journey in the tiny village of Mvezo, in the hills of the Eastern Cape, where he was born on July 18, His teacher later named him Nelson as part of a custom to give all schoolchildren Christian names.
His father died when he was 9, and the local tribal chief took him in and educated him. Mandela attended school in rural Qunu, where he retreated before returning to Johannesburg to be near medical facilities.
He briefly attended University College of Fort Hare but was expelled after taking part in a protest with Oliver Tambo, with whom he later operated the nation's first black law firm. In subsequent years, he completed a bachelor's degree through correspondence courses and studied law at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.
He left without graduating in Four years before he left the university, he helped form the youth league of the African National Congress, hoping to transform the organization into a more radical movement. He was dissatisfied with the ANC and its old-guard politics.
And so began Mandela's civil disobedience and lifelong commitment to breaking the shackles of segregation in South Africa. In , Mandela and dozens of other political activists were charged with high treason for activities against the government.
His trial lasted five years, but he was ultimately acquitted. Four years after his treason charges, police shot 69 unarmed black protesters in Sharpeville township as they demonstrated outside a station.
He also discouraged black South Africans from seeking revenge for the apartheid period, preaching kindness and forgiveness instead. The funeral and burial cap took place over 10 days of national mourning.
On December 15, tribal leaders clad in animal skins stood alongside officials in dark suits as Mandela's coffin, which was draped with the South African flag, was buried in his childhood village of Qunu. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us!
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Murphy was Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. Register Sign In. South Africa. Many people from different parts of the world 'remember' struggle icon Nelson Mandela 'dying' in the s, long before he became president of South Africa. Many people from around the world, including paranormal researcher Fiona Broome, remembered SA's former president Nelson Mandela "dying" in the s on Robben Island, long before he became SA's first black president.
Upon interviewing hundreds of people, Broome discovered that many had a different recollection of details, including when Mother Teresa was sanctified, the death of Neil Armstrong and how many states make up America. Robert Crowder said he learnt of Mandela's death in the mids in his geography class. This brain machinery, according to Ramirez, is not only responsible for this, but it also reconstructs the past.
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