Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, in the village of Mvezo in Umtata, then part of South Africa's Cape Province. He was a member of the Thembu royal family and his father, Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa, was a local chief and counselor to the Thembu king. Mandela was given the forename Rolihlahla, meaning "troublemaker," and he was later given the name "Nelson" by his teacher on his first day of school, a common practice during that period.

Mandela's early life was deeply influenced by the traditional African culture and values of his upbringing, but he also received a Western education, attending missionary schools. In 1939, he enrolled at the University of Fort Hare, a key institution for higher learning for Black Africans at the time. However, his involvement in a student protest led to his expulsion. He eventually completed his degree through correspondence at the University of South Africa and later studied law at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.

In Johannesburg, Mandela became increasingly involved in the struggle against racial oppression. He joined the African National Congress (ANC) in 1943 and helped form the ANC Youth League, advocating for more radical resistance against apartheid, the institutionalized system of racial segregation and discrimination in South Africa. His activism led to numerous arrests, and he was a key figure in the Defiance Campaign of 1952 and the Congress of the People, which led to the adoption of the Freedom Charter in 1955, a pivotal document in the anti-apartheid movement.

Mandela's leadership in the ANC's armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe ("Spear of the Nation"), marked a significant escalation in the struggle. He was arrested in 1962 and sentenced to five years in prison. In 1964, during the Rivonia Trial, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in planning sabotage against the apartheid government. Mandela spent the next 27 years in prison, primarily on Robben Island, where he became a symbol of resistance to apartheid worldwide. Despite harsh conditions, he continued to lead from behind bars, and his commitment to reconciliation rather than retribution helped him gain international respect.

The global anti-apartheid movement, coupled with internal unrest, eventually pressured the South African government to negotiate. In 1990, Mandela was released from prison, and he immediately took up a leadership role in the ANC. He led the negotiations that resulted in the dismantling of apartheid and the establishment of multiracial elections in 1994. Mandela won the presidency in South Africa’s first fully representative democratic election, becoming the country’s first Black head of state.

As president, Mandela focused on reconciliation between the country’s racial groups and the creation of a new constitution. He also worked to address the socio-economic disparities that apartheid had entrenched, but his government faced significant challenges, including high crime rates and the HIV/AIDS epidemic. After serving one term, Mandela stepped down in 1999, emphasizing his belief in the importance of democratic principles and the peaceful transfer of power.

Mandela continued to work on peace and social justice issues after his presidency, through the Nelson Mandela Foundation and other initiatives. He received more than 250 honors during his life, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. Nelson Mandela passed away on December 5, 2013, but his legacy endures as a global symbol of resistance to oppression and a champion for justice and human rights.

REFERENCE:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela