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Nelson Mandela Biography

in full Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela

(1918–)

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Related Works

Books
2005 Emerging Voices: A Report On Education In South African Rural Communities
2005 Witness to AIDS
2002 Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folktales

2002 Wild at Heart: Man and Beast in Southern Africa
2002 The Story of My Life: South Africa Seen Through the Eyes of Its Children
2002 Reflections in Prison: Voices from the South African Liberation Struggle
2002 Madiba Magic: Nelson Mandela's Favorite Stories for Children
2002 Letters to Madiba: Voices of South African Children
1998 Integration or Fragmentation: The Housing Generator Competition for South African Cities
1998 The Building Has Begun!: Government's Report to the Nation
1997 The Essential Nelson Mandela
1997 South and Southern Africa into the Next Century
1996 Mandela: An Illustrated Autobiography
1996 The United Nations and Apartheid
1995 Transitional Justice
1995 Building a New South Africa
1994 Invest in Peace
1994 A Time to Build: Addresses by the President, Mr. Nelson R. Mandela, at His Inauguration, the Opening of Parliament
1994 Voices from Robben Island
1993 Nelson Mandela Speaks
1992 India's Message of Peace
1991 How Far We Slaves Have Come!: South Africa and Cuba in Today's World
1990 Nelson Mandela Speeches, 1990: Intensify the Struggle to Abolish Apartheid
1990 Walk the Last Mile with Us: Nelson Mandela's Speeches in Ireland
1990 L'Annee Mandela
1978 Struggle Is My Life
1973 No Easy Walk to Freedom: Articles, Speeches and Trial Addresses of Nelson Mandela
1970 I Am Prepared to Die

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South African statesman and president (1994-99). Born Rolihlahla Mandela on July 18, 1918 in Transkei, South Africa. Mandela's father had four wives and Mandela's mother, Nosekeni Fanny, was the third. His father died when Mandela was nine years-old and he is taken in by a high ranking chief who provides him with an education for the civil service. It is in college where Mandela develops a nationalist position and begins to advocate for black African rights. He is arrested and imprisoned for twenty-seven years. In time, as the white South African government reeled under international political pressure, Mandela was released and commenced working with the South African white government to transition to black majority rule and away from apartheid. At age 77, Mandela was elected President of South Africa, serving only one term. He has since then spent his life promoting equality and world peace in many parts of the world.

There was little in Nelson Mandela's early life to indicate that he would become a leader of an independence movement and eventually president of his country. He was born Rolihlahla Mandela in rural South Africa in the tiny village of Mvezo, on the banks of the Mbashe River in the province of Transkei. "Rolihlahla" in the language of Xhosa literally means "pulling the branch of a tree," but more commonly means "troublemaker."

His father was destined to be a chief and for years served as a counselor to tribal chiefs. But over a dispute with the local colonial magistrate, he lost his title and his fortune. Rolihlahla was only an infant at the time and the loss of status forced his mother to move the family to Qunu, an even smaller village north of Mvezo. The village was nestled in a narrow grassy valley. There were no roads, only foot paths that linked the pastures where livestock grazed. The family lived in huts and ate a local harvest of maize, sorghum, pumpkin, and beans, which was all the family could afford. Water came from springs and streams and cooking was done outdoors. Nelson played the games of young boys, acting out male rights-of -passage scenarios with toys he made himself from the natural materials available, tree branches and clay.

At the suggestion of one of Rolihlahla's father's friends, he was baptized into the Methodist church and became the first in his family to attend school. As was the custom at the time, and probably due to the bias of the British educational system in South Africa, his teacher told him that his new first name would be "Nelson."

Nelson Mandela's father died of lung disease when Nelson was nine years old. From that point, his life changed dramatically. He was adopted by Chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo, the acting regent of the Thembu people. This gesture was done as a favor to Nelson's father who, years earlier, had recommended Jongintaba be made chief. Nelson left the carefree life he knew in Qunu, fearing he would never see is village again. He traveled by motorcar to Mqhekezweni, the provincial capital of Thembuland, to the chief's royal residence. Though he had not forgotten his beloved village of Qunu, he quickly adopted to the new, more sophisticated surroundings of Mqhekezweni.