Nelson Mandela – Leon

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 (1918–2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist, lawyer and the first Black president of South Africa (1994–1999). He is seen as one of the most inspirational figures in history because he fought against racism all his life, spent 27 years in prison and still came out without hatred. Instead of taking revenge, he chose forgiveness and reconciliation and united a divided country – the “Rainbow Nation”. In 1993 he received the Nobel Peace Prize.

Choose one of his revolutionary acts and describe it. Why is it striking?
The Rivonia Trial (1963–64): Mandela was charged with sabotage and conspiracy and could have been sentenced to death. Instead of only defending himself, he used the court to explain his fight in a famous speech from the dock: a democratic and free society in which all people live together in harmony was “an ideal for which I am prepared to die”. It is striking because he stayed unyielding and did not renounce his beliefs, even though his life was at stake – he was sentenced to life in prison.

Nelson Mandela’s funeral

How did they mourn him?
Mandela died on 5 December 2013 at the age of 95. South Africa held ten days of national mourning and flags flew at half-mast. People gathered in front of his house and in Soweto – they did not only cry, but also sang, danced and celebrated his life. Almost 100 world leaders came to the memorial service in the FNB Stadium in Soweto, his body lay in state at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, 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 Cuba’s president Raúl Castro – a remarkable gesture because the USA and Cuba had been enemies for decades; it matched Mandela’s spirit of reconciliation. In his speech he called Mandela “a giant of history” and “the last great liberator of the 20th century”, and he challenged world leaders to act on Mandela’s values instead of only praising them. The crowd cheered him enthusiastically.

In which way did the pouring rain suit the occasion?
In many African cultures (e.g. in Mandela’s Xhosa culture) rain at a funeral is seen as a blessing: people believe that the gates of heaven are open and the ancestors welcome the dead person. So the pouring rain was interpreted as a sign that Mandela was being welcomed. It also matched the sad mood – but the people stayed, kept singing and celebrated him anyway.

Quotation

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

This quote fits Mandela’s life perfectly. For decades it seemed impossible that apartheid would ever end and that a man who had spent 27 years in prison would become president of South Africa – but against all odds it happened in 1994. It also shows his attitude: he never gave up, not even on Robben Island. I chose it because it is short and motivating, and it is also true for my own life, for example when a task at school or in my internship seems too difficult at first.

2 Apartheid in 90 seconds – summary

Apartheid (Afrikaans for “separateness”) was a system of racial segregation in South Africa from 1948 until the early 1990s. The white minority government of the National Party divided people into racial groups: whites, Blacks, Coloureds and Indians. Non-white people faced discrimination in every part of life: they had to carry passes, live in separate areas, use separate public facilities such as schools, hospitals, buses and beaches, and they were not allowed to vote. Interracial marriage was forbidden. Resistance radicalized after the Sharpeville massacre (1960) and the Soweto uprising (1976). Mass protests and international sanctions made the system crumble, and the first free elections in 1994 ended apartheid.

3 Mandela: His Life – questions

1. As a child he did not feel any hunger for freedom because he was free – he could roam the countryside, run, swim and ride. Only later he discovered that this freedom was an illusion for Black people in South Africa. The discrimination he experienced created his hunger for freedom.
2. He was the son of a tribal chief, so he was groomed for a leading role and got the best possible education a Black person could get at that time.
3. In Johannesburg (1941) he came face-to-face with racial discrimination for the first time – discrimination that later became law under apartheid. This first-hand experience made him political.
4. He worked at a mine, then as a clerk in a law firm while studying law. He joined the ANC and later set up a law firm with Oliver Tambo.
5. “Good neighbourliness”.
6. A document drafted by the ANC in 1955. It served as a blueprint for a free, democratic and multi-racial South Africa in which all races are treated equally – the “rainbow nation”.
7. In 1956, because he was one of the people responsible for the Freedom Charter; the government saw it as a conspiracy against the state.
8. The Sharpeville massacre: during a protest against the pass laws, the police shot 69 people. Afterwards the ANC was outlawed.
9. The police and government were ruthless, so peaceful opposition was no longer possible. Mandela went underground and started an armed fight (sabotage).
10. It was Mandela’s prisoner number on Robben Island: prisoner no. 466 of the year 1964.
11. Many countries imposed sanctions and boycotts, and famous musicians organized concerts against apartheid (Artists United Against Apartheid). Yes – people from all walks of life in South Africa, e.g. church leaders like Desmond Tutu, students and white activists, also protested and many went to prison.
12. Mandela was released from prison after 27 years and the ban on the ANC was lifted.
13. The first free elections in which all races could vote took place; the ANC won in a landslide and Mandela became the first Black president.

4 Trevor Noah – two gigs

Gig 1: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (2012) – Noah was born in 1984 to a Black Xhosa mother and a white Swiss father when relationships between races were illegal: “I was born a crime.” His parents could not be seen together: his mother pretended not to know him when the police came, and his father walked on the other side of the street. He turns this painful history into jokes and shows how absurd apartheid was.

Gig 2: White House Correspondents’ Dinner (2022) – In front of President Biden and hundreds of journalists, Noah roasts everybody: Biden’s age and low approval ratings, politicians from both parties and the media. At the end he gets serious: he can make fun of the president without being punished – a privilege that doesn’t exist in countries like Russia, where journalists are jailed. Message: protect freedom of speech and a free press.