Happy Birthday, Nelson Mandela

Born Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela in a small village near Umtata near the Transkei in 1918, he was the son of the Paramount Chief’s principal councilor. When his father died, he became the ward of the Chief and had the opportunity to succeed him but opted for law school instead. Mandela began his college education at University College of Fort Hare, but he was suspended for participating in a boycott, and had to finish his undergraduate studies via correspondence courses. He began his political career by joining the African National Congress (ANC). He spent many years in various campaigns and nonviolent protests, but when the ANC was banned, he determined that military action was the only solution.

Soon after abandoning nonviolent protest, Mandela was imprisoned for a five-year jail sentence beginning in 1962. In 1963 he was tried while still in jail during the now- infamous Rivonia Trial. Rivonia was a suburb where a stash of weapons owned by the ANC’s military branch was discovered. After Mandela pleaded guilty to founding the branch, called the “Spear of the Nation,” he was sentenced to life imprisonment at Robben Island. Eventually, the South African government, under President Frederick W. de Klerk, freed Mandela in 1990.

After years of dissent and numerous attempts by the government to put a stop to Mandela’s revolutionary efforts, the Rivonia Trial finally succeeded in imprisoning him for over two decades at Robben Island. But although the trial resulted in Mandela’s jail sentence, his famous speech on the dock thrust him into the international spotlight. In this speech, Mandela told the world that he was “prepared to die” to see his dream of equality in South African realized.

Mandela’s biography, cited by the Nobel Prize Archive, states that he was imprisoned for “plotting to overthrow the government,” but was freed by that government in 1990 and became president of the ANC, joining forces with his liberator, President de Klerk. The two leaders devised a strategy for transitioning out of apartheid that together earned them the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.

In May 1994, the first free elections to include both blacks and whites were held in South Africa. Mandela was elected president. He stood before the crowd, stating that it was “a joyous night for the human spirit.” Many of his supporters had been persecuted as enemies of the state during the period of all-white government; he told them, “I stand before you humbled by your courage, with a heart full of love for all of you.” White president Frederic W. de Klerk stepped down, assuring uneasy whites that the old institutions would continue to have a say in government and celebrating the fact that “after so many centuries, all South Africans are now free.”

Towards the end of his presidency, Mandela established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to investigate the crimes committed by both sides during apartheid. Although Mandela fronted the commission, the TRC was committed to justly uncovering the behavior of both whites and blacks without bias. During the investigations, it was discovered that his wife Winnie was involved in numerous murders and allowed assault and mutilation to take place in her home. The BBC covers the findings, reports and key players of the commission.

Time magazine named Mandela one of its 100 Greatest Leaders in 1998. Although the magazine addressed the way Mandela as president struggled to live up the mythic persona he generated in prison, author Andre Brink concluded, “through his willingness to walk the road of sacrifice, he has reaffirmed our common potential to move toward a new age.”

Mandela began his famous autobiography, “The Long Walk to Freedom,” in secret during his imprisonment at Robben Island. The book chronicles his life and feelings about being a leader and a public figure.

On his 88th birthday, the Guardian reported that Mandela had all but faded from politics. Mandela had difficulty getting along with his successor, Thabo Mbeki, and a recent Mbeki biographer explains, “Mandela was treated like a difficult and bothersome old man who should go away.” He continued to stay active in charities, however, and although many mourned the loss of his political opinions, others speculate that he was simply aging. He expressed a desire to spend more time relaxing, saying, “I am confident that nobody ... will accuse me of selfishness if I ask to spend time, while I am still in good health, with my family, my friends and also with myself.”

Robben Island, where Mandela had been sentenced to life imprisonment, is now a museum and education center. While Mandela was there, he led an initiative to offer education for inmates. According to its Web site, “Robben Island came to symbolise, not only for South Africa and the African continent, but also for the entire world, the triumph of the human spirit over enormous hardship and adversity.”

In 2008, the Nelson Mandela Foundation celebrated Mandela’s 90th birthday with myriad notable speakers and events. The birthday festivities occurred in late June and early July. In addition, the Nelson Mandela Institute for Educational and Rural Development and the Department of Education plan to launch the Mandela School Community Network later this year. The summer will also include leadership workshops for Rhodes scholars.