Humanitarians

Nelson Mandela (1918 AD - 2013 AD)

Nelson Mandela was a black man, so he suffered discrimination at the hands of the Whites, so he decided to raise his voice. He was born on 18 July, 1918 in South Africa. He studied the law. He noticed that the Whites discriminated against the Blacks everywhere. Their social, professional and economical rights were not given to them. This policy of discrimination in South Africa was called apartheid. To fight apartheid, Mandela joined the Youth League of the African National Congress, which was already fighting for the Blacks’ rights. The Whites were very ruthless. They crushed the voice of the Blacks. A large number of Blacks were either killed or subjected to inhuman cruelties.

During the course of the movement, Nelson Mandela had to go to jail a number of times; and finally in 1964, he was sentenced for life. He continued to guide the movement from inside the jail itself.

The long struggle compelled the white rulers to change their minds. As a result, general elections were held in 1994, in which both the Blacks and the Whites participated on equal terms. The African National Congress won these elections. With this, Nelson Mandela became the first black President of South Africa..