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Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born in Transkei,
South Africa on July 18, 1918. His father was Chief Henry Mandela of the
Tembu Tribe. Mandela himself was educated at University College of Fort Hare
and the University of Witwatersrand and qualified in law in 1942. He joined
the African National Congress in 1944 and was engaged in resistance against
the ruling National Party's apartheid policies after 1948. He went on trial
for treason in 1956-1961 and was aquitted in 1961.
After the banning of the ANC in 1960, Nelson Mandela argued for the setting
up of a military wing within the ANC. In June 1961, the ANC executive
considered his proposal on the use of violent tactics and agreed that those
members who wished to involve themselves in Mandela's campaign would not be
stopped from doing so by the ANC. This led to the formation of Umkhonto we
Sizwe. Mandela was arrested in 1962 and sentenced to five years'
imprisonment with hard labour. In 1963, when many fellow leaders of the ANC
and the Umkhonto we Sizwe were arrested, Mandela was brought to stand trial
with them for plotting to overthrow the government by violence. His
statement from the dock received considerable international publicity. On
June 12, 1964, eight of the accused, including Mandela, were sentenced to
life imprisonment. From 1964 to 1982, he was incarcerated at Robben Island
Prison, off Cape Town; thereafter, he was at Pollsmoor Prison, nearby on the
mainland.
During his years in prison, Nelson Mandela's reputation grew steadily. He
was widely accepted as the most significant black leader in South Africa and
became a potent symbol of resistance as the anti-apartheid movement gathered
strength. He consistently refused to compromise his political position to
obtain his freedom.
Nelson Mandela was released on February 18, 1990. After his release, he
plunged himself wholeheartedly into his life's work, striving to attain the
goals he and others had set out almost four decades earlier. In 1991, at the
first national conference of the ANC held inside South Africa after the
organization had been banned in 1960, Mandela was elected President of the
ANC while his lifelong friend and colleague, Oliver Tambo, became the
organisation's National Chairperson.
From Les Prix Nobel. The Nobel Prizes 1993,
Editor Tore Frängsmyr, [Nobel Foundation], Stockholm, 1994
This autobiography/biography was
written at the time of the award and later published in the book series
Les Prix Nobel/Nobel
Lectures. The information is sometimes updated with an addendum
submitted by the Laureate. To cite this document, always state the source as
shown above.
Read a speech from Mr. Mandela entitled "I am prepared to die"
http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/mandela.htm
Quotes:
After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there
are many more hills to climb.
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