Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born into the Madiba clan of Thembu Royal Family on July 18, 1918 at Mvezo Village, Cape Province, South Africa.
He received primary school education at
Qunu and secondary school education from Methodist Mission Schools at Clarkebury
and Healdtown (1925 – 1939).
He
graduated in arts from University of Fort Hare and law from University of Witwatersrand
(1939 – 1949).
He cofounded South Africa’s first
black law firm, Nelson Mandela & Oliver Tambo Attorneys & Co. at
Johannesburg to provide low cost legal advice to clients affected by apartheid
laws (1953 – 1962).
He was convicted for treason and placed
in solitary confinement at Pretoria Prison (1962 – 1964), Robben Island Prison (1964
– 1982), Pollsmer Prison (1982 – 1988) and Victor Verson Prison (1988 – 1990).
He was released following
sustained international campaign and served as the Deputy President (1990 –
1991) and President of African National Congress (1991 – 1994).
He led the African National Congress
to a massive landslide victory and was elected as the first democratic black President
of Republic of South Africa (1994 – 1999).
He retired from politics and established
the Nelson Mandela Foundation to support education, rural development and
combat HIV & AIDS in the African continent (1999 – 2013).
He died on December 05, 2013 at Houghton,
Johannesburg, South Africa aged 95 years.
Anti Apartheid
Activist
An African nationalist and
socialist. He joined the African National Congress or ANC in 1942 and served as
the National Secretary (1948 – 1951) and President of ANC Youth League (1951 –
1961).
He directed a peaceful non
violent defiance campaign against South African government racist laws and policies.
He cofounded the Spear of Nation
or MK in 1961, an underground militant wing which organized guerrilla warfare
against the oppressive racist white minority regime.
He as the
longest (27 years: June 27 1964 to February 11, 1990) and most famous political
prisoner (Prisoner Number 64446) was subjected to solitary confinement and
inhumane punishment for political offences of sabotage, violence and treason.
He was Deputy President (1990 –
1991) and President of African National Congress (1991 – 1997).
He negotiated the peace agreement
with white government which ended apartheid and paved for peaceful transition
of multi- racial democracy.
President of South
Africa
He was elected as the first black
President of Republic of South Africa in first democratic multi racial parliamentary
elections by universal suffrage held in 1991.
He headed a broad coalition government
the Government of National Unity which enacted the new constitution of South
Africa in 1996 and made South Africa a rainbow nation at peace within itself
and the world.
He established the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission to investigate human rights abuses and political
violations and brought reconciliation among the various multiracial groups.
He introduced reforms to improve infrastructure
and health care, alleviate illiteracy and poverty and raised the living
standards of African citizens.
He was Secretary General of Non
Aligned Movement (1998 – 1999).
Social Activist
He established the Nelson Mandela
Foundation which focused on rural development, reduction of illiteracy, poverty
and eradication of communicable diseases in the African continent.
An advocate of AIDS awareness and
treatment programmes, He addressed the International Conference on HIV AIDS in Durban
2000 and Bangkok in 2004.
He inaugurated the Nelson Mandela
Fund, Nelson Mandela Trust, Nelson Mandela Centre, Nelson Mandela Lecture and
Nelson Mandela Rhodes Foundation to provide scholarships to African students.
He spoke, wrote on human rights, social
justice, global peace, development, disarmament. He mediated international conflicts
and disputes.
Nelson Mandela launched The
Elders, an independent group of world leaders committed for global peace and human rights in 2007.
Awards
An icon of democracy and social
justice he received over 250 prizes from all over the world including the
coveted Nobel Peace Prize.
The Nobel Peace Prize for 1993 was
awarded jointly to Nelson Mandela, President of African National Congress and
Frederik Willem de Klerk, President of South Africa for “for their work for the
peaceful termination of the apartheid regime, and for laying the foundations
for a new democratic South Africa”
The Government of India conferred
the Bharat Ratna on him in 1990, the second foreign citizen to receive this
honour besides Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding in 1979 and
Gandhi International Gandhi Peace Prize in 2000.
The United States conferred the
US Congressional Medal in 1998 and US Presidential Medal 2002.
The United Kingdom conferred the
Queen Elizabeth Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 and Diamond Jubilee Medal in
2012.
The notable awards, medals and prizes
conferred by governmental as well as nongovernmental organizations from all over
the World.
Bruno Kriesky Award, Asturias Award,
U Thant Award, Yusuf Award, Arthur Ashe Award, Walker Award, Fulbright Award,
Jesse Owens Award.
Simon Bolivar Prize, Carter Prize,
Sakharov Prize, Ata Turk Prize, Lenin Prize, Enron Prize.
Dubois Medal, Liberty Medal, Victory
Medal, Anne Frank Medal, Roosevelt Medal, Humanity Medal, Amnesty Medal, Liberty
Medal, Solidarity Medal, Giuseppe Motta Medal.
Time Magazine nominated him as
the Man of the Year in 1993 and one among the 100 Most Influential Persons of
the World in 2004.
Orders
He was conferred the National
Orders of Friendship and Honour by the Governments of Angola, Australia, Bulgaria,
Canada, China, Cuba, Denmark, East Germany, France, Luxemburg, Mali, Mexico, Nigeria,
Norway, Pakistan, Tanzania, South Africa, Soviet Union, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine,
United Kingdom and International Olympic
Commission.
Doctorates
He was conferred Honorary
Doctorates for his contribution to human rights and development by Universities
all over the World.
Chancellor
He was Chancellor of University
of Limpopo.
President
He was Life President of Students
Union at Leeds, London, and Strathclyde. He was Honorary President of National
Union of Mine Workers, National Union of Seamen and Human Rights
Institute.
Fellowships
He was elected Honorary Fellow of
College of Physicians of South Africa and Ireland, Trinity College, Magdalene
College.
Mandela Day
The United Nations General
Assembly proclaimed July 18, the birthday of Nelson Mandela as “Mandela Day” in
honour of his contribution to world freedom.
A subatomic particle discovered
in 1973 and a South African trapdoor spider discovered in 2004 are named after him.
He has been granted honorary citizenship
by municipal councils, cities and countries all over the world, besides airports,
roads, plazas, hospitals, schools, colleges, universities, gardens, parks,
squares, and stadium have been named after him.
Titles
He is affectionately called by
his Xhoas clan name Madiba and is revered as the Father of the Nation by South Africans.
He was known as the Black Pimpernel
for his role during the struggle against the apartheid regime.
Publications
He published his memoirs tiled Long
Walk to freedom in 1994 and Dare Not Linger - The Presidential Years in 2017.
Resources
www.wikipedia.com
www.nelsonmandela.org
List of
Universities which conferred Honorary Doctorates
Ahmed Bella – Nigeria
Amherst
Australian National University
Bangkok
Binghamton
Bologna
Botswana
Bristol
Brown
Brussels
Cairo
Calcutta
Caledonian
Cambridge
Cape Town
Clark Atlanta
Dakar
De Montfort
Dublin
Free State
Fort Hare
Ghana
Glasgow
Harvard
Havana
Hong Kong
Howard
Ireland
Karl Marx, Leipzig
Lancaster
Leiden
Lesotho
Limpopo
London
Malaya
Mara Technology
Massachusetts
Mauritius
Michigan
New York
Nottingham
Oxford
Philippines
Pretoria
Queens – Belfast
Queens – Kingston
Rhodes
Rio de Janerio
Ross
Russia
Ryerson
Soochow
Sorbonne
South Africa
South Australia
Stellenbosch
Strathclyde
Sydney
Tanzania
Texas
Trent
Uppsala
Warwick
Western Cape
Witwatersrand
York
Zimbabwe
Zululand
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