Mandela - The People's Hero

When i began preparing for this trip, i felt that South Africa could not be missed. Having emerged from the violent ravages of the apartheid struggle just 11 years ago(!) i'd heard great things about this "new nation". However, i knew very little about the country's struggle and how it came to be today. It's a bit embarrassing to admit but the truth is all i knew was this: apartheid = bad, Mandela = good.

Determined to educate myself on the subject, i picked up Nelson Mandela's excellent autobiography A Long Walk to Freedom. And a very long walk it was - Mandela was imprisoned for twenty-seven years, seventeen of which was spent on the completely isolated Robben Island, South Africa's Alcatraz. As a young lawyer, Mandela fought for equal rights among the country's blacks, who far outnumbered the white ruling minority. He believed in peaceful resistance and hoped that both whites and blacks could live together as equals in a democratic society. Unfortunately, the rulers of the apartheid regime believed the best way to handle Mandela and his growing popularity was to convict him for "treason" and sentence him to life in prison. They thought by imprisoning the charismatic and well-spoken leader that he would be forgotten and the equality movement would die. How very wrong they were.

Mandela never compromised his ideals and always treated his captors and the apartheid leaders with the utmost respect, even when they didn't necessarily deserve it. To illustrate his sincerity to peaceful co-existence he even learned their language (Afrikaans) and studied their history in order to better understand them as a people. As the anti-apartheid movement gained international support and eventually turned violent, the oppressive rulers knew their grip was slipping as the country stood on the brink of tearing itself apart in bloody fashion. From his prison cell, with extreme patience and cleverness, Mandela masterfully negotiated the delicate transition from apartheid rule to the establishment of democracy and equal rights for all South Africans - black and white.

To legitimize the peaceful transition to democracy, apartheid leaders realized that Mandela had to be released. On February 11th, 1990 the world watched as Mandela was finally released after 27 years in prison - truly a day that South Africa will never forget. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. In the next few years the government transitioned to democracy and Nelson Mandela became the first freely elected South African president in 1994.

An inspiration to millions around the world, Nelson Mandela is undoubtedly one of the greatest leaders and true heroes of the past century. When i am in Cape Town i plan to visit Robben Island where Mandela was imprisoned for so many years. Former political prisoners now act as tour guides as the healing continues and South Africa moves towards a bright future.

"I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a 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 to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." - Nelson Mandela, April 20th 1964, prior to being sentenced to life imprisonment