Nelson Mandela was born on July 18th, 1918 in Mvezo, South Africa. He would go on to become one of the most iconic figures of the 20th century and a global symbol of reconciliation, forgiveness, and peace. Mandela devoted his life to the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa and fought to end racial segregation and discrimination through non-violent civil disobedience. Due to his leadership of the African National Congress (ANC) and his lifelong struggle against apartheid through peaceful and non-violent means, Mandela became South Africa’s first black chief executive and first black president.
Mandela was a Xhosa born into the Madiba clan. His father was a local chief and counselor to tribal chiefs. Receiving a primary education at a Methodist mission school, Mandela then attended Healdtown Wesleyan High School where he first encountered racial discrimination. In 1939, he ran away from an arranged marriage and enrolled at the University College of Fort Hare for his Bachelor of Arts degree but was expelled after one year for joining a student protest. In 1941, Mandela moved to Johannesburg and enrolled for a Bachelor of Laws degree correspondence course through the University of South Africa but did not complete the degree.
Between 1943 and 1948, Mandela established himself as a lawyer in Johannesburg. He became increasingly involved in political activism and joined the African National Congress Youth League, advocating primarily for non-violent civil disobedience campaigns against apartheid. Mandela helped form the ANC’s first Youth League and advocated for more militant action against apartheid policies. In 1944, he helped draft and co-sign the ANC “Programme of Action” that entailed mass mobilization against apartheid. One year later, Mandela was elected to the ANCYL executive committee as the organization’s secretary.
A major turning point occurred in 1948 with the election of the apartheid-advocating National Party which instituted increasingly discriminatory and racist laws such as the Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act and the Group Areas Act. This prompted Mandela to become more actively involved in protests and campaigns championing non-violent civil disobedience against apartheid’s unjust discriminatory acts. In 1949, Mandela was elected president of the ANCYL where he continued advocating for strikes, civil disobedience, and non-cooperation as methods of protest. The increased repression of anti-apartheid activists by the apartheid government led Mandela and others in the ANC to deem more militant opposition as necessary.
In the 1950s, Mandela played an instrumental role in several now-historic ANC campaigns against apartheid. In 1952, he was a key organizer of the ANC’s “Defiance Campaign” which entailed acts of deliberate, mass civil disobedience such as blacks intentionally violating apartheid laws. As a consequence of his activism, Mandela was banned from holding office in political organizations in 1953 and placed under house arrest for a year. Amidst the apartheid government passing ever harsher discriminatory laws such as the Reservation of Separate Amenities Act in 1953 and the Bantu Education Act in 1953, Mandela continued advocating non-violent civil disobedience and non-cooperation to the extent that this was feasible amidst apartheid repression.
The Sharpeville massacre of March 21st, 1960 in which 69 peaceful anti-apartheid protesters were killed by police prompted Mandela and the ANC to deem that non-violent protest alone could no longer achieve change. In 1961, Mandela helped establish and became the first commander of the ANC’s armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK). In this role, he helped plan a campaign of economic sabotage against symbolic state buildings to compel the apartheid government to negotiate. He continued to advocate that violence should be targeted at property and not humans. During this time, Mandela also traveled abroad to gain international support for the anti-apartheid cause and have South Africa sanctioned and isolated by the global community.
On August 5th, 1962, Mandela was arrested and charged with incitement and leaving the country without a passport. In the famous Rivonia Trial of 1963-1964, Mandela gave an eloquent four hour speech from the dock defending the ANC struggle and casting himself as opponent of racism rather than a communist or terrorist. Despite facing the death penalty, Mandela emphasized his adherence to non-racial democratic principles over violence or armed struggle wherever possible. On June 12th, 1964, Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment alongside other ANC leaders. For the next 27 years, he was incarcerated at Robben Island Prison where he faced immense hardships but continued advocating reconciliation, forgiveness and non-violence even within the confines of the apartheid system.
Due to growing domestic and international pressure, South African president F.W. de Klerk freed Mandela from prison on February 11th, 1990. In 1991, Mandela was elected ANC President while still negotiating with the apartheid government. In 1993, Mandela and de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their roles in the peaceful resolution of apartheid. Finally, on April 27th, 1994, Mandela voted for the first time in his life in South Africa’s first free elections based on universal suffrage. In these elections, he led the ANC to victory and became South Africa’s first Black president on May 10th, 1994 at age 77.
As president, Mandela worked tirelessly to heal the deep divisions in South African society through the principles of truth, forgiveness and reconciliation. He established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate apartheid-era crimes and help facilitate national reconciliation. Under his leadership, a new democratic constitution was also adopted which enshrined unconditional human rights and minority protections in South Africa for the first time. Mandela served one term as president, retiring in 1999, having laid the foundations for a successful transition to democracy. Even after leaving office, he continued advocating for social justice, HIV/AIDS awareness and conflict resolution around the world.
Nelson Mandela was a visionary and profoundly moral leader who sacrificed his freedom and health for over 27 years to end the injustice of apartheid. Through his lifelong struggle characterized by non-violent civil disobedience, leading by example and preaching forgiveness over vengeance, Mandela prevailed against tremendous adversity to achieve reconciliation in post-apartheid South Africa. His steadfast commitment to non-racial democracy, peaceful conflict resolution and forgiveness has left a lasting legacy and made him an inspiration to oppressed peoples worldwide. Mandela showed that non-violent resistance has powerful potential when deployed strategically and that reconciliation must underpin societal transitions to prevent cycles of future conflict. To this day, Nelson Mandela remains a global symbol of courage, perseverance and reconciliation in the face of deep injustice.
Andrew Stroud