Nelson Mandela, the father of South Africa. "NO EASY WALK TO FREEDOM"

BioPoem:

Nelson

Courageous, inspiring, outstanding, perseverant

Father of six

Brave, fights for equality

Determination, goodwill, pleased

Jail, apartheid, discrimination

Fought against apartheid

Equal rights and peace

Born in Qunu and lived in Johannesburg (South Africa)

Mandela

Village of Qunu

Nelson Mandela's Life:

Born on July 18, 1918, at the village of Qunu (the Transkei territory), South Africa, Rolihlahla (Nelson Mandela), was the son of a chief counselor and the nephew of the tribe leader. Rolihlahla and his father helped care for the cattle and sheep. When he had time he also assisted his father with plowing the fields.

Mandela was a very successful person, he continued to fight for what was right, even though he was sent to jail countless times. Nelson Mandela was influenced by the elders in his tribe, who told the young Mandela stories about the white men invading South Africa. Mandela knew that white men having control of South Africa was wrong. When Mandela grew older, he was interested in politics. Later on, Mandela moved to Johannesburg to avoid his arranged marriage.

Walter Sisulu (on left) and Nelson Mandela (on right).

Afterwards, Mandela befriended Walter Sisulu and received advice from him. Mandela then moved into the house of the Sisulu family. One day, when Walter Sisulu's families came for dinner, Sisulu's cousin, Evelyn Ntoko Mase, was one of the guests. Evelyn was a nurse who came to Johannesburg around the same time Mandela did. Evelyn and Mandela had many common interests. The following month, Mandela proposed to her, and they were married in 1944.

In the following years, Nelson and Evelyn had their first son named Makgatho Mandela, followed by three more daughters.

In the same year that Nelson Mandela was married, he joined the ANC (African National Congress). He became a member of the ANC because of his interest in politics and another reason was that he wanted South Africa to be free from any kind of racism or any kind of separation. After a while, Mandela was elected as the president of the Youth League in 1951.

Accomplishments of Mandela:

Nelson Mandela disagreed with the idea of apartheid in his country. Apartheid is a policy of segregation in South Africa. So, he stood up for what was right and organized protests against it. Later on, after all his hard work and devotion, Mandela became the first black president of South Africa. He was also awarded the Nobel Peace prize for his commitment in opposing this idea. Furthermore, Nelson Mandela was awarded numerous times.

Nelson Mandela takes the oath as president.

Second Wife: Winnie Mandela

In 1957, Mandela divorced Evelyn. The year after that Mandela met Winnie Madikizela, who was the first black medical social worker in South Africa. When Mandela proposed to her, Winnie delightedly accepted. She understood that their marriage would be different than others, because Mandela would be fully dedicated to freedom in South Africa for the rest of his life.

Nelson and Winnie's wedding photo.

On June 14, 1958, Nelson Mandela and Winnie Madikizela were married in a place near where Winnie was born/raised.

The following year, Nelson Mandela and Winnie's first daughter, Zeni, was born. A year later, their second daughter, Zindzi, was born.

Challenges that Nelson Mandela faced:

  • He was imprisoned in Robben island for 18 years of his 27 years imprisonment in jail.
  • Mandela's struggle for freedom. The Africans were controlled by the whites and they weren't allowed to have good jobs and weren't allowed to vote on political activities.
This was the jail that Nelson Mandela was locked up in.

Third Wife: Graça Machel

Two years after the divorce with Winnie, Mandela married Graça Machel, who was the widow of the previous Mozambican president, Samora Machel. Graça Machel is a Mozabican politician and humanitarian.

Nelson Mandela and Graça Machel
On the left is a statue of Nelson Mandela, on the right shows a painted portrait of him.

Nelson Mandela qualities:

  • Mandela had endurance.
  • He was patient.
  • He wasn't self-centered.
  • Didn't fight for freedom just to gain attention.
  • Mandela showed determination.
  • A positive thinking man.
  • Mandela was hopeful.

Was Nelson Mandela influenceable to people?:

Others may think that Mandela is not a very admirable person because they would think that other people have done more significant things than Mandela. Another disagreement that Mandela's opposer might be that Nelson Mandela's work didn't really impact the entire world. But I oppose of this concept, Nelson Mandela has inspired the whole world by showing what you could do if you just committed to something. He also showed the world how to forgive and what it looks like to do it. Therefore, Mandela has impacted not only his country, but the whole world. After facing all of his challenges/difficulties, he has undoubtedly showed us that there is "no easy walk to freedom".

Bibliography:

  • Vanessaward14. “Walter and Nelson.” www.tackk.com, 2014. Accessed 2 Mar. 2017.
  • Prichard, Skip. “11 Leadership Qualities of Nelson Mandela.” Skip Prichard | Leadership Insights, Skip Prichard, 25 Sept. 2014, www.skipprichard.com. Accessed 3 Mar. 2017.
  • Dhladhla, Walter. "Nelson Mandela: A revolutionary's life" Photo. www.nbcnews.com, 1994. Accessed 3 Mar. 2017.
  • ANC Youth. “Winnie and Nelson Mandela on Their Wedding Day.” Winnie and Nelson Mandela on Their Wedding Day, Sowetan, 6 Dec. 2013. Accessed 4 Mar. 2017.
  • Grubb, Louise. “Nelson Mandela and His Wife, Graça Machel.” Graça Machel on Mandela: 'I Learned to Separate the Man from the Myth', 6 Dec. 2013. Accessed 4 Mar. 2017.
  • CNN. Nelson Mandela Funeral Farewell in Qunu. 15 Dec. 2013, Accessed 5 Mar. 2017.
  • Denenberg, Barry. Nelson Mandela: No Easy Walk to Freedom. London, Scholastic, 2014.

Credits:

Created with images by lasanta.com.ec - "Nelson Mandela" • tjabeljan - "P7250080" • markhillary - "Cape Town Nov 2013" • shelbyasteward - "Nelson" • Robert Cutts (pandrcutts) - "Nelson Mandela and Robert Peel in Parliament Square" • Abode of Chaos - "Nelson Mandela painted portrait P1040890"

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