Ann Kramer - Nelson Mandela: An Extraordinary Life

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Picture credits:

Front cover, main. Mandela at ballot box, 1994. Picturepoint/Topham.

Front cover b/g and back cover bg. Sharpeville massacre, 1960. Popperfoto/Getty Images.

Inside

1 Mandelas childhood home, Qunu. UWC RIM/Mayibuye Archives.

2 Mandela aged 21 in 1939. UWC RIM/Mayibuye Archives.

3 Alexandra township. Popperfoto/Getty Images.

4 Mandela & first wife, Evelyn. UWC RIM/Mayibuye Archives.

5 Trekking Boers with wagons. Popperfoto/Getty Images.

6 Whites Only sign. Picturepoint/AP/Topham.

7 Protest Johannesburg, 1952. Popperfoto/Getty Images.

8 156 Treason Trial accused,1956. UWC RIM/Mayibuye Archives.

9 Mandela & Winnie wedding, 1958. Popperfoto/Reuters/Getty Images.

10 Sharpeville Massacre, 1960. Popperfoto/Getty Images.

11 Robben Island prisoners. UWC RIM/Mayibuye Archives

12 Mandelas release, 1990. Popperfoto/Getty Images.

13 Mandela sworn in as President, 1994. Picturepoint/Topham.

14 Mandela and third wife Graca Machel, 1998. Popperfoto/Getty Images.

15 Mandela, Hyde Park concert, 2008. Reuters/Corbis.

16 Mandelas funeral procession, 2013. Felix Diangamandia/epa/Corbis.

The struggle is my life. I will continue fighting for freedom until the end of my days.

N elson Mandela was one of the greatest and most influential figures of the 20th century. He led the fight against apartheid (racial separation) in South Africa to become that countrys first black president in its first-ever multiracial election.

Nelson Mandela dedicated his life to achieving freedom for his people. His vision was of a democratic South Africa where everyone would have equal rights. Despite many setbacks, Mandela never faltered in his fight to achieve that goal. He spent 27 long years in prison for his beliefs, yet when he was finally released he astounded the world by his lack of bitterness and his wish to forgive and be reconciled.

Mandela was a man of enormous moral integrity. In court and in prison, his dignity and refusal to compromise his principles won him respect not only from others in the liberation movement but also from his harshest opponents. From ordinary Africans through to Afrikaner prison warders and heads of state, Mandela made friends wherever he went.

In 1993 Nelson Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his long struggle to end apartheid in South Africa. This was a fitting tribute to a remarkable man one who is remembered throughout the world today for his dignity, courage and tolerance.

NelsonMandela was born on 18 July 1918 in a tiny village called Mvezo. Mvezo is located in the district of Umtata, in the Transkei region of South Africa.

M andelas father, Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa, named his son Rolihlahla, which literally means pulling the branch of a tree. It can also mean troublemaker. Mandelas family were Xhosa people. They were members of the Madiba clan, named after an 18th-century Thembu tribal chief. Mandelas great-grandfather had been a Thembu king called Ngubengcuka. Although Rolihlahla was not a direct descendant, he was nevertheless connected to the royal family. His father was an important and highly respected man in the village, and principal adviser to the acting Thembu chief. Gadla had four wives and 13 children. His third wife, Nosekeni Nkedama, was Rolihlahlas mother.

Although an important man in his own right, Mandelas father was subject to the authority of British administrators who had governed the region since 1885. When Mandela was very young, his father quarrelled with a white magistrate and was dismissed from his post, losing both his wealth and his wages. Mandela and his mother had to leave Mvezo to live with relatives in Qunu, a small village about 32 km (20 miles) away.

Mandela spent his early childhood in Qunu, surrounded by an extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins. The village lay in a small valley and consisted of a settlement of round huts with conical roofs. He and his mother lived in one of the huts. They slept on the floor and cooked over an open fire. Rolihlahla had a traditional and happy country childhood and throughout his life never lost his love for the area.

The region was dependent on cattle and by the age of five Rolihlahla was a herd boy, looking after the animals as well as playing games such as stick-fighting with the other children. His upbringing was strict. His father, who visited regularly, demanded absolute obedience: traditional customs dictated his activities.

When Rolihlahla was about seven, he was baptised into the Christian faith. He was a clever child and his father sent him to a local mission-run school, one of many that had been set up by British missionaries to civilise Africans and convert them to Christianity. He was the first in his family to go to school. Until then he had always worn a traditional blanket, wrapped around one shoulder and tied at the waist, but for school his father gave him a pair of his own trousers, cut down to fit. The schoolchildren were not allowed to keep their African names; on his first day, Rolihlahlas teacher gave him the first name Nelson.

Two years later Nelsons father died of lung disease and Nelsons life changed dramatically. His mother could not afford to continue his education. However, because of her sons ties with the Thembu royal family, Nelson went to live with a wealthy and powerful relative, Chief Jongintaba Dalinyebo, who was acting chief of the Thembu people. Jongintaba became Nelsons guardian and welcomed him into the royal household. He brought up Nelson on equal terms with his own son, Justice.

Life was exciting in the royal residence in Mqhekezweni, which was the capital of Thembuland. Although whites ruled South Africa, Jongintaba still had an influential role in the administration of the region, particularly in tribal matters.

Huge meetings were held regularly at the royal palace. People came from all over Thembuland, bringing disputes over cattle and other matters in front of the chief. Mandela was fascinated by the way Jongintaba and his councillors listened to everyones opinion before making a decision. This method of resolving conflicts was to influence Mandelas own leadership style later in his life.

Nelson also began to develop a greater awareness of African history and his own culture. Within the royal household, he heard elders tell stories of Africa before the Europeans arrived and of Xhosa resistance to European domination. These stories fired his imagination. He also heard tales of the infamous Robben Island prison and learned about the exploits of many Xhosa and Zulu heroes.

When Nelson was 16 he was circumcised in a traditional ritual that marked his transition from child to adult. During the celebrations afterwards, one of the chiefs spoke forcefully about how the Europeans had destroyed Xhosa culture. Nelson was indignant he had met very few white people and had always considered them to be benefactors. In later life, Mandela believed something was stirred in him that day. This feeling was to flourish and to influence his political future.

Another powerful influence on the young Nelson Mandela was the Christian church. He attended Sunday school and went to a local missionary primary school, where he studied English, Xhosa, history and geography. A serious, respectful boy, he did well at school, gaining the nickname Tatomkhulu, which means Grandpa. Mandelas career had already been decided. His guardian intended that he should continue his education, advancing through the missionary school system until he was ready to become an adviser to the Thembu rulers, thus following in his fathers footsteps.