Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela

“The greatest glory in living is not in never falling, but in getting up every time, you fall.”

The quote emphasizes the importance of resilience and perseverance in adversity.
It suggests that those who can pick themselves up and keep going after experiencing failure are the ones who will ultimately achieve tremendous success and fulfillment in life.

The phrase “the greatest glory in living” also suggests that this kind of resilience and perseverance is not just about achieving success in a particular endeavor but about living a fulfilling and meaningful life more broadly.
It suggests that overcoming challenges and setbacks is critical to a well-lived life.

Failure is not something to be feared or avoided but is viewed as an opportunity for growth and learning.
It teaches us that true greatness comes not from never falling (never failing) but from the ability and perseverance to get up and keep going.

Nelson Mandela　Brief personal history.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, in Mvezo, a small village in the Transkei region of South Africa.
His father, Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa, was the chief of the town and a counselor to the Thembu royal family.
Mandela’s mother, Nosekeni Fanny, was the third of Mphakanyiswa’s four wives.

Mandela was the youngest of four children, and his given name, “Rolihlahla,” means “pulling the branch of a tree” or “troublemaker” in the Xhosa language.
As a child, he attended a Methodist mission school, where he was given the name “Nelson” by one of his teachers.

In 1939, Mandela enrolled at the University of Fort Hare, where he studied law and became involved in student politics.
However, he was expelled the following year for participating in a student protest.

In 1941, Mandela moved to Johannesburg and completed his law degree at the University of South Africa while working as a clerk at a law firm.
During this time, he became involved in the African National Congress (ANC), a political organization dedicated to ending apartheid and achieving full political rights for black South Africans.

In 1952, Mandela became the national volunteer-in-chief of the ANC’s Defiance Campaign, encouraging nonviolent protests against discriminatory laws.
However, the South African government responded with harsh crackdowns, and Mandela and other ANC leaders were arrested and charged with treason in 1956.
The trial lasted four years, and in 1961, all charges against Mandela and his co-defendants were dropped.

In 1961, Mandela co-founded Umkhonto we Sizwe, or “Spear of the Nation,” a militant wing of the ANC dedicated to armed resistance against the apartheid government.
In 1962, Mandela was arrested and sentenced to five years for inciting workers to strike and leaving the country without a passport.
While in prison, Mandela was charged with sabotage and conspiracy to overthrow the government, and in 1964, he was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Mandela spent the next 27 years in prison, much of it on Robben Island, a notorious prison off the coast of Cape Town.
Despite the harsh conditions, Mandela remained committed to the struggle against apartheid and became a symbol of resistance and hope for black South Africans.

In 1990, after years of international pressure and domestic protests, the South African government finally released Mandela from prison.
Mandela became the leader of the ANC and worked with President F.W. de Klerk to negotiate an end to apartheid and a peaceful transition to democracy.

In 1993, Mandela and de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to end apartheid.

The following year, South Africa held its first fully democratic elections, and Mandela was elected as the country’s first black president.

During his presidency, Mandela worked on healing the wounds of apartheid and promoting reconciliation between South Africa’s different racial and ethnic groups.
He also worked to improve education, healthcare, and housing for all South Africans.

Mandela retired from politics in 1999 and devoted himself to charitable work through the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
He remained a revered figure in South Africa and worldwide until his death on December 5, 2013, at 95.

Episodes.

One of the most notable episodes in Nelson Mandela’s life was his imprisonment on Robben Island, a notorious prison off the coast of Cape Town, for 18 of the 27 years he spent in jail.
During this time, he and the other prisoners had to work hard and spend much time alone.
Furthermore, they were prohibited from reading books or being exposed to the outside world news!

Even though he was in prison, Mandela stayed true to his beliefs and worked to end apartheid and give all South Africans the same rights.
He also became a symbol of resistance and hope for black South Africans, and his imprisonment only strengthened his resolve and reputation as a leader in the anti-apartheid movement.

One particularly notable episode during Mandela’s time on Robben Island occurred in 1977 when he and several other prisoners staged a hunger strike to protest their treatment and demand better living conditions.

The strike lasted for several weeks, and Mandela’s health deteriorated.
However, even in extreme conditions, Mandela refused to back down or compromise his principles.
He continued to lead the strike from his prison cell, and his determination and bravery inspired others inside and outside the prison walls.
Ultimately, the hunger strike drew attention to the prisoners’ plight and pressured the South African government to improve conditions on Robben Island.

Mandela’s health did suffer because of the strike, but it also showed how committed he was to justice and how willing he was to make personal sacrifices for a more significant cause.

Apartheid

Apartheid was a system of institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination practiced in South Africa from 1948 until the early 1990s.

The policy was characterized by the forced removal of non-white South Africans from their homes and the creation of segregated neighborhoods and public facilities, as well as discriminatory laws that restricted the rights and freedoms of non-white South Africans.

The apartheid policy was designed to maintain white minority rule in South Africa and to reinforce racial hierarchies in the country. It was widely condemned within South Africa and internationally and was the subject of significant opposition and resistance from black South Africans and their allies.

The anti-apartheid movement eventually succeeded in bringing an end to the policy, mainly through non-violent means such as boycotts, protests, and international sanctions.

The release of Nelson Mandela from prison in 1990 and the subsequent democratic elections in 1994 marked the official end of apartheid in South Africa and the beginning of a new era of political and social transformation in the country.

Robben Island

Robben Island is located off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa.

Nelson Mandela and other anti-apartheid activists were also imprisoned there as political prisoners.

The Dutch colonial authorities first built the prison on Robben Island in the 17th century. They used it to house political dissidents and other people who posed a threat to the colonial government.

During the apartheid era, the prison was used to house opponents of the white-minority government, including many African National Congress (ANC) members and other anti-apartheid groups.

Conditions on Robben Island were notoriously bad. Prisoners had to work hard, stay in their cells alone, and have limited access to books and news from the outside world.

However, despite these conditions, many of the prisoners on Robben Island continued to resist the apartheid regime and advocate for equal rights and freedoms for all South Africans.

Nelson Mandela was imprisoned on Robben Island for 18 of the 27 years he spent in prison.
During this time, he continued to advocate for an end to apartheid and to work towards a vision of a more just and equitable South Africa.

He also became a symbol of resistance and hope for black South Africans, and his imprisonment only strengthened his resolve and reputation as a leader in the anti-apartheid movement.

Today, Robben Island is a popular tourist attraction and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Visitors can tour the prison and learn about the history of apartheid in South Africa and the struggles and sacrifices of those who fought against it.