The Life of Nelson Mandela - Research Paper Example

Nelson Mandela Nelson Mandela was born as Rolihlahla Mandela on July 1918 in a small village known as Mvezo, in Transkei, South Africa (“The Life of Nelson Mandela” 12) and as he grew up, he was given many different names including Nelson, Tata, and Madiba among others. Literally in Xhosa language, “Rolihlahla means pulling the branch of a tree but it is commonly translated by many people as the troublemaker” (Hollingsworth 9). He was born to Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa and Nosekeni Fanny (Limb 2) and was later adopted by Jongintaba Dalindyebo at the age of 9 after his father’s death (Limb 5). Mandela belonged to Tembu clan of Xhosa tribe and was loved by many people not only from his clan but also the entire country and globally (Rakoczy 164). Nelson Mandela is a renowned South African freedom fighter who greatly contributed to ending apartheid in South Africa and he also addressed and fought for human rights worldwide. Since 1940s, Mandela remained a strong member of African National Congress (ANC) and he led the movements against the ruling government because they were fed up with the racial discrimination in South Africa. Together with other ANC members, they strongly opposed the minority white rule which was characterized by racial discriminations whereby, individuals were divided based on their racial background because the government itself encouraged racism. His actions made him spend nearly three decades in prison and when he was released in 1990, Mandela participated in the elimination of apartheid in South Africa enabling him to become the country’s first black president in 1994. After finishing his first term in 1999, Mandela retired from active politics and remained committed to promoting peace and social justice in his country and worldwide until his death in 2013. This paper discusses the life of Mandela until his death and it also identifies some of his actions for social justice issues. Mandela was the first in his family to undergo through a formal education and he successfully finished his primary studies at a local missionary school and in 1939, he joined the elite University of Fort Hare, the only open institution to blacks in South Africa. However, in the following year, he and others were sent home for engaging in a boycott against university policies (Rakoczy 165). Mandela escaped to Johannesburg after realizing that his guardian had arranged a marriage for him (Guiloineau 129). He first started working as a watchman but later as a law clerk and the same time pursuing his Bachelor of Arts degree. Thereafter, he studied law at the University of Witwatersrand but he never stopped fighting against racial discrimination. Mandela spent twenty seven years in prison and this made him to be famous and recognized worldwide as a leader of peace and reconciliation (Rakoczy 164). He was married three times starting with Evelyn Ntoko Mase and they had four children together but divorced in 1957 due to his devotion to revolutionary agitation. In 1958, he married Winnie Madikizela, had two daughters but divorced in 1996 and after two years, Mandela married Graca Machel who remained by his side until his death in 2013. Due to his goal to end apartheid and build democracy in his country, Mandela actively participated in the anti-apartheid movement and later joined the African National Congress in 1942 which was mainly created to help eradicate apartheid. Within this association, a group of young Africans who called themselves the African National Congress Youth League(ANCYL), focused on transforming the ANC into a mass movement incorporating the rural peasants and working individuals who had no voice under the ruling regime. Being a member of ANC and because of his concern how the blacks were treated by the ruling government, Mandela was in the forefront among those opposing South Africa’s white minority government and its racial separation policy, apartheid. For twenty years, he led peaceful and diplomatic acts of insolence against the South African government and its racist policies such as “the 1952 Defiance Campaign and the 1955 Congress of the People among others” (Rakoczy 165). In 1956, Mandela and one hundred and fifty five others were arrested and charged with treason for their political advocacy but were finally released (“The Life of Nelson Mandela”12). Nevertheless, his approach to address what affected the black South Africans changed from non-violent protests to armed struggle as he was convinced that peaceful protests are not necessary to address the issues affected the country and individual citizens but armed struggle is the most appropriate. This motivated him to establish Umkhonto we Sizwe- Spear of the Nation- (Rakoczy 165) also called MK which was committed to engage in different violent tactics including guerrilla war tactics in order to put apartheid to an end. In the same year, Mandela led a three-day national workers’ strike and this resulted to his arrest a year after and was jailed for 5 years. In 1963, Mandela and ten others were arrested and jailed for life because of their participation in protests that oppose the government and while in prison, they were treated badly and received little attention by the prison officials because they were black prisoners charged with political offences. Mandela influence and fight for the equality forced individuals to demand his release and so an international campaign for his release was organized to ensure that he was released from prison. In 1982, Mandela and the others were moved transferred to Pollsmoor Prison but in 1985, President P.W. Bother, who was the country’s president then, agreed to order his release under the condition that the armed struggle be renounced but obviously Mandela declined the offer (“Nelson Mandela…”). The government was forced to engage in various talks with Mandela because of the rising pressure both internationally and locally for Mandela’s release but no agreement was reached, however, when President Botha became sick and his position was occupied by Frederik Willem de Klerk who announced Mandela’s release in 1990 and he also eliminated all the restrictions on political campaigns and unbanned the ANC. Immediately when he was released from prison, Mandela informed the foreign powers to continue pressuring the ruling government to modify its constitution. Moreover, he was committed to working toward peace but he his stand about the ANC’s armed struggle to continue until the black majority given the right to vote. In 1991, Mandela was elected the leader of the ANC and he never stopped negotiating with President de Klerk about the country’s first multiracial elections. Although the white South Africans willingly wanted to share power, many black South Africans wanted a complete transfer of power. The negotiations continued but were often strained by demonstrations and armed resistances. Mandela and presidents worked together in ensuring that apartheid was dismantled and because of their cooperation, negotiations between white and black South Africans succeeded. In 1994, South African held its first democratic elections and Nelson Mandela was sworn in “as the country’s first black president at the age of 77 and de Klerk as his first deputy” (Finlayson 100). During his presidency, Mandela was mainly concerned with improving race relations, encouraging the blacks not to be against the white minority and establishing a new international image of a united South Africa. As president, Mandela created the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to help in investigating human rights and political violations and he also established various social and economic programs to improve the living standards of the blacks in South Africa (Finlayson 101). In 1996, he developed a new constitution enabling him to form a strong central government based on the rule of majority and this new constitution guaranteed everyone including their rights. This constitution also prohibited any form discrimination against the minorities including the whites and until 1999, Mandela focused on how to bring about the transition from minority rule and apartheid to black majority rule. More so, he also focused on protecting the country’s economy from collapsing during his presidency and through his reconstruction and development plan, the government funded the creation of employment, housing as well as basic healthcare. Mandela had retired from active politics by the 1999 general election and thereafter, Mandela remained an advocate for peace and social justice in his own country and also around the world and he created many organizations such as the influential Nelson Mandela Foundation as well as The Elders which composed of an independent group of public figures interested in addressing global problems and human suffering. The major concern of this group was to combine the wisdom of these elders and use it in solving some of the problems experienced in the world. In addition, Mandela continued to advocate for peace and equality and he also remained committed to the fight against AIDS and in 2002, he became a renowned advocate of aids awareness and treatment programs in a society where the disease was associated with stigma and ignorance. Together with others, he helped in building democracy in South Africa and today he is popular as the Father of South Africa Freedom (Hollingsworth 4). Mandela remained an inspirational figure to many individuals all over the world because of his persistent struggle for racial justice and equality and he is also seen as a symbol of peace as he pushed for the transition from apartheid to multiracial democracy in his country. Nelson Mandela spent his entire life including the 27 years in prison fighting for a democratic South Africa and social justice and he was able to witness his wish in his lifetime. He is admired and respected worldwide for his dignity in fighting for the oppressed individuals in the society. Notably, social change is experienced in the society when people are committed to fight for justice and against oppression. Mandela’s struggle to democracy and social justice made South Africa to become a democratic country with a constitution that guarantees everyone their rights. Two years later after his retirement from active politics, Mandela suffered from prostate cancer but treated and in 2004 when he was eighty five years old, Mandela retired from public life and went back to his ancestral village, Qunu. In 2011, Mandela suffered from a lung disease and was taken to Johannesburg to seek medical attention; he went through surgery but was later released and returned to Qunu. He was hospitalized many times for further testing and medical treatment relating to his recurrent lung infection. In 2009, the UN announced July18, Nelson Mandela International Day as a way of promoting peace in the world and celebrating Mandela’s legacy. This particular day was meant to recognize Mandela’s great contributions to democracy, freedom, peace and human rights globally. On December 5 2013, Mandela died from a recurring lung infection at his home in Johannesburg at the age of 95 and he remains a celebrated figure in South Africa and the entire world until his death. All in all, Nelson Mandela remains to be one of the most admired and influential leaders in Africa and the entire world. He spent his entire life fighting for democracy and social justice in South Africa and his major concern was a democratic and fair country where there is no racial discrimination, respect between the white and black South Africans and the right to vote be given to the blacks. Mandela never stopped despite the challenges and problems he experienced in the process. He joined the ANC which was mainly established to address racial discrimination in South Africa and the members including Mandela were anti-apartheid and so eradicating apartheid was their primary concern. He was arrested many times for leading protest against the government and he spent nearly three decades in prison where he was humiliated and treated unfairly by the prison workers. Eventually, president de Klerk announced his release and the two negotiated about racism in the country, the black’s right to vote and the power sharing between the white and the black South Africans. They worked together and ensured that they ended the apartheid rule and racial discrimination in South Africa. He became the country’s first black president and during his presidency, he was mainly concerned about how to improve racial relations and establishing a democratic and united South Africa. Mandela remains the father of freedom in South Africa and one of the great leaders admired all over the world. Works Cited “Nelson Mandela.”Africa Research Bulletin: Political, Social and Cultural Series.Vol. 50, Issue 12, p.19945A–19946C, John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Jan 2014. “The Life of Nelson Mandela.” Illawarra Mercury: 12. Dec 07 2013. ProQuest.  Finlayson, Reggie. Nelson Mandela. Minneapolis, Minn: Lerner Publications Co, 2006. Print. Guiloineau, Jean. Nelson Mandela: The Early Life of RolihlahlaMadiba. Berkeley: North Atlantic Books, 2002. Print. Hollingsworth, Tamara. Nelson Mandela: Leading the Way. Teacher Created Materials. 2013. Print. Limb, Peter. Nelson Mandela: A Biography. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2008. Print. Rakoczy, Susan. Great Mystics and Social Justice: Walking on the Two Feet of Love. New York: Paulist Press, 2006. Print. Read More