Nelson Mandela was awarded the Noble Peace Prize in 1993 for his role in abolishing South African Apartheid. Mandela wanted South Africa to be a country where all races, religions and people were equal and he was prepared to die for this cause. He stated “I have cherished the ideal democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”  Mandela was very passionate about liberating black people from their role as near-indentured servants in South African society. Once all races were finally able to vote in 1991, Mandela became the first black president. Throughout his time as president, he helped other African countries move to the same ideal. 

Nelson Mandela spent a whole of 27 years in prison, from November 1962 until February 1990. He began in non-violent protests but then believed that armed struggle was the only way to achieve the change he wanted. In 1961, he co-founded MK which was an armed offshoot of the ANC devoted to sabotage and use revolutionary war tactics to end apartheid. Also in 1961, he arranged a three day national workers strike. The next year he was arrested for leading the strike and was sentenced five years in prison. In 1963, Mandela was put into trial again with 10 other ANC leaders who were all sentenced to life imprisonment for political offenses. For 18 of 27 years of his time in prison, Mandela was confined on Robben island. During this time, he was able to earn a Bachelor of law degree through a University of London correspondence program. For the remaining years of his imprisonment, he and other ANCleaders were moved to Pollsmoor Prison, to allegedly enable contact between them and the South African government. He was then finally released on the 11^th of February, 1990. (Nelsonmandela.org. (2018). Biography of Nelson Mandela) 

When Mandela was in jail it was a time of deep growth that changed his worldview. He began to write a lot of his concerns for humanity and justice. He strongly believed in the African concept of Ubuntu stating, “A traveler through a country would stop at a village and he didn’t have to ask for fod or water. Once he stops, the people give him food, entertain him. that is one aspect of Ubuntu, but it will have various aspects. Ubuntu does not mean that people should not enrich themselves. The question is: Are you going to do so in order to enable the community around you to be able to improve?”

 

Costello, Amy. “Nelson Mandela.” Polotics, PRI.org, 5 Dec. 2013, www.pri.org/stories/2013-12-05/nelson-mandela-man-who-brought-south-africa-out-apartheid-dies-95.

 

Forbes.com. (2018). Forbes Welcome. [online] Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mfonobongnsehe/2013/12/06/20-inspirational-quotes-from-nelson-mandela/ [Accessed 4 Mar. 2018].

 

Kershaw, T. (2018). Nelson Mandela’s Religion and Political Views. [online] Hollowverse.com. Available at: https://hollowverse.com/nelson-mandela/ [Accessed 27 Feb. 2018].

Moore, Keith. Nelson Mandela Had an Open Mind, Opengovtv, 10 Jan. 2014, www.opengovtv.com/index.php/blog/education/item/1611-nelson-mandela-had-an-open-mind.

 

Nelsonmandela.org. (2018). Biography of Nelson Mandela – Nelson Mandela Foundation. [online] Available at: https://www.nelsonmandela.org/content/page/biography [Accessed 4 Mar. 2018].

 

“Nelson Mandela Biography.” Biography, A&E Television Networks, 2018, www.biography.com/people/nelson-mandela-9397017.

 

“The Religious, Spiritual, Humanist Worldview And Inspiring Legacy Of Nelson Mandela.” Religion, Huff Post, 6 Dec. 2013, www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/06/nelson-mandela-religion-spirituality-_n_4399847.html.