Nelson Mandela was a social rights activist and politician who became South Africa’s first black president. He was elected as president after time in prison for his work in Anti-Apartheid. Later on, Mandela joined the African National Congress in 1942. Mandela spent around 27 years in prison for political offenses.
The early life of Nelson Mandela
Mandela was born on 18 July 1918. His birth name was “Rolihlahla Mandela,” which literally means a troublemaker. He used to live in the tiny village of Mvezo on the banks of the Mbashe River in South Africa. It was located in a place where there were no footpaths or any road.
Education
He was the first person in his family to attend school. Mandela used to take classes in a one-room school and used to study English, Xhosa, history, and geography. Due to the biased British Educational system in South Africa, Mandela’s teachers gave him the first name as Nelson. His life changed when his father died due to lung disease when he was just nine years old.
Political awakening
During African circumcision, his mood shifted when the speaker spoke about that land was controlled by the white man, and they would never have the power to govern themselves. An uncircumcised man cannot inherit father wealth, marry or participate in tribal rituals.
University life
He enrolled at the University of Fort Hare. Fort hare in Africa was considered equivalent to Harvard. He was focused on Roman-Dutch law to prepare for a career in civil service. It was regarded as the best profession that a black man could take during that time.
Anti-Apartheid Movement
Mandela was the leader of the anti-apartheid movement. It was initially known as the boycott movement. It was a British organization that opposed the South African apartheid system and supporting South African’s non-white population
