Nelson Mandela – Simon

1 Worksheet: Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela’s biography

Who was Nelson Mandela? Why is he seen as one of the most inspirational figures in history?
Nelson Mandela (born 1918, died 2013) was the most important leader of the fight against apartheid in South Africa. He was a lawyer and an ANC activist, and because of his resistance he spent 27 years as a political prisoner. In 1994 he became the country’s first Black president. People see him as a role model because he stayed true to his ideals under extremely hard conditions, and because he used his power not for revenge, but to bring Black and white South Africans together.

Choose one of his revolutionary acts and describe it. Why is it striking?
The 1995 Rugby World Cup: Rugby was seen as the sport of white South Africans, and many Black people hated the Springboks team. When South Africa won the final, President Mandela came onto the field wearing a Springbok jersey and handed the trophy to the white captain, François Pienaar. The mostly white crowd cheered “Nelson! Nelson!”. It is striking because with one simple gesture he showed that the team belonged to all South Africans and helped to unite a divided nation.

Nelson Mandela’s funeral

How did they mourn him?
Mandela died on 5 December 2013, aged 95. South Africa had ten days of official mourning. Instead of only being sad, many people celebrated his life – they sang and danced in the streets of Soweto and Johannesburg. More than 90 heads of state came to the memorial service in the FNB Stadium. His body lay in state in Pretoria for three days, and he was buried in his home village of Qunu.

What was remarkable about Obama’s speech and his behaviour prior to it?
Before his speech, Obama shook hands with Raúl Castro, the president of Cuba, which was a historic moment because the two countries had been enemies for a long time. It fitted perfectly with Mandela’s idea of reconciliation. In the speech, Obama called Mandela “a giant of history” and said that he had made him want to be a better man. He also reminded the leaders in the audience that they should not only praise Mandela but also follow his values. The people in the stadium celebrated him loudly.

In which way did the pouring rain suit the occasion?
Although the weather was terrible, the rain was seen as something positive. In the Xhosa tradition, rain at a funeral means that the person is welcomed by the ancestors and that the heavens are open. So many South Africans felt that the rain was a blessing and a sign that Mandela was a very special man.

Quotation

“Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”

Mandela’s life was full of setbacks: the ANC was outlawed, he was arrested, put on trial several times and spent 27 years in prison. But every time he got back up and continued his fight until apartheid ended. I chose this quote because it shows that success is not about never failing, but about not giving up – which is also important in school and sports.

2 Apartheid in 90 seconds – summary

In 1948 the National Party came to power in South Africa and introduced apartheid, which means “separateness”. The white minority controlled the country while the Black majority and other non-white groups faced discrimination in all areas of life. There were separate living areas, schools, hospitals, beaches and even park benches. Black people needed passes to travel, could not vote and were not allowed to marry white people. Over the decades the protests grew and became more radical, especially after the Sharpeville massacre (1960). Mass protests inside the country and sanctions from abroad finally made the system crumble. Apartheid ended with the first free elections in 1994.

3 Mandela: His Life – questions

1. As a child he did not need to fight for freedom because he already felt free – he could roam around, run, swim and ride horses. Only when he grew older he discovered that this freedom was an illusion for Black people, and from then on he felt a hunger for it.
2. He was the son of a tribal chief, so he had access to the best education that was possible for a Black person in those days.
3. Moving to Johannesburg in 1941 was important because there he experienced discrimination for the first time – and this discrimination later became law. It made him politically active.
4. He worked as a miner, then as a clerk in a law firm, and he became a member of the ANC.
5. The National Party called apartheid “good neighbourliness”.
6. The Freedom Charter is a document that the ANC drafted in 1955. It was meant to be a blueprint for a free, democratic and multi-racial South Africa – a “rainbow nation”.
7. In 1956, because he was one of those responsible for the Freedom Charter, which the government saw as an attack on the state.
8. The Sharpeville massacre: police shot 69 people during a protest against the pass laws.
9. Because the police and the government were ruthless – peaceful opposition was impossible. So Mandela went underground and the ANC started a violent fight, for example with sabotage.
10. It was his number as a prisoner on Robben Island: no. 466 in the year 1964.
11. Lots of countries, e.g. Great Britain, introduced sanctions, and famous musicians organised a big concert against apartheid. In South Africa other people from all walks of life protested as well, and many of them had to go to prison.
12. In 1990 Mandela was freed from prison and the ANC became legal again.
13. 1994 was the year of the first free election in South Africa; Mandela was elected president.

4 Trevor Noah – two gigs

Gig 1: “Afraid of the Dark” (Netflix, 2017) – Noah talks about his experiences travelling around the world. Many jokes are about accents and languages: he imitates people from different countries and shows how speaking someone’s language can change how they treat you. He also jokes about American politics. The main idea is that language and humour can connect very different people.

Gig 2: White House Correspondents’ Dinner (2022) – Noah hosted this dinner in front of President Biden and many journalists. He made fun of Biden, of politicians from both parties and of the media. In the end he changed his tone and said that it is a great privilege to be able to joke about the president without punishment – in countries like Russia journalists are put in prison. He wanted to remind everyone how important a free press is.