It’s a prestigious fact that we folks are honoured to share the same land with an angel disguised and a man who created a difference at the global level through his messages and teachings. Late Nelson Mandela who was not only a leader at heart but also a teacher for a lifetime. Let’s peep into his memorable journey through these nelson mandela facts for kids to learn the true meaning of life from his stupendous guiding.
Nelson Mandela Facts For Kids
Childhood of Nelson Mandela
Born on 18th July 1918, in the village of Cape Province of South Africa. His real name was Rolihlahla Mandela which meant “troublemaker” in the Xhosa language.
He lost his father at a tender age of 9 years, who was destined to be a chief and served as counsellor of tribal chief for many years but ultimately lost his fortune as well as title over a conflict with the colonial magistrate.
After his father’s loss he and his mother moved to an even smaller village north of Mvezo, where they had to face a hard time living in huts and eating the major local veggies.
First to attend school in family
By god’s grace he was the first to attend a school from his family as was customary at the time and possibly due to the bias British education system.
The destiny
His father died of lung cancer causing a dramatic change in his life. Thereafter he was adopted by the chief of Thembu people as a kind gesture of favor for his father. Who, years earlier, had recommended Jongintaba to be made as the chief which made his live a carefree life onwards.
It was during this period when he developed an interest in African history as he shared the same status that the agent’s other two children enjoyed in the palace where he use to study in a classroom next to his new home. He studied English, History, Geography, and Xhosa language.
Early education of Nelson Mandela
In 1939, Mandela applied at the University College of Fort Hare, the sole residential center of higher learning for blacks in South Africa at that point of time. Fort Hare was reviewed as Africa’s equivalent of the University of Harvard or Oxford University, building scholars from all parts of sub-Sahara African region.
In 1941 he was awarded his Bachelor’s degree, and in 1942 he was committed to another firm of attorneys and started upon a law degree at the University of Witwatersrand. Here he met and worked with a study buddy, Seretse Khama, who later became the first president of independent Botswana.
The activist
Mandela soon engrossed himself actively in the anti-apartheid movement, by blending in the African National Congress in 1942.
In the ANC, a small group of young Africans united together, calling themselves the African National Congress Youth League and used methods like boycott, strike, civil disobedience, and non-cooperation, with policy goals of full citizenship, redistribution of land, trade union rights, and free and compulsory education for all children.
For almost 2 decades, Mandela carried out peaceful, nonviolent acts of defiance against the South African government and its unpopular racist policies, including the 1952 Defiance Campaign and the 1955 Congress of the People and created an account what we today call history.
Imprisonment of Nelson Mandela
In 1961, Mandela arranged a three-day national workers’ strike. He was put behind bars for steering the strike the following year, and was even sentenced to five years imprisonment.
He was brought to trial again in 1963.Alongwith ten fellow members, this time he was sentenced for lifetime imprisonment for sabotage and political offense.
Making of the first black president – Nelson Mandela facts for kids
Upon his release after De Klerk removed restrictions and unbanned the ANC in 1990,Mandela soon asked foreign powers not to reduce pressure for constitutional reforms on South African government.
In 1993, Mandela and President de Klerk were combinely awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their phenomenal work toward dismantling apartheid to a great extend.
South Africa held its rookie democratic elections. Nelson Mandela was instituted as the country’s first black president on 10th May, 1994, at the time Nelson was 77 years, with de Klerk as his first deputy
During his regime of rule i.e. from 1994 until June 1999, Mandela worked extensively to bring about the conversion from minority rule and apartheid to black majority rule.
He cleverly used the nation’s passion for sports as a pivot point to advocate settlements between whites and blacks, encouraging black South Africans to support the once-hated national rugby team for obvious reasons.
The retired leader
In 2001 he was diagnosed and eventually treated for prostate cancer.
Subsequently, returned to his native village Qunu, after formal announcement of his retirement from public life at an age of 85 in June 2004.
Somehow he could not completely detach himself from serving people and continued the good work of backing several cause like fighting for the killer disease_ AIDS victims, which was the reason behind his son’s death.
Personal life of the real hero
In his lifetime he married three ladies and had altogether six children, four from his first marriage and two daughters from his third wife who accompanied her till his last breathe.
Death of an era
After completing a very successful journey, at an age of 95 on 5TH Dec 2013 Nelson Mandela died at his home in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Later that day a statement was released which revealed his legacy “Wherever we are in the country, wherever we are in the world, let us reaffirm his vision of a society … in which none is exploited, oppressed or dispossessed by another,” Zuma,the president of South Africa said.
He may have died but will surely remain immortal in our hearts for his ideas and as a source of unparallel inspiration for civil rights and activists.
Nelson Mandela is FAMOUS FOR
Nelson Mandela became the first black president of South Africa in 1994, serving in the most possible appropriate way until 1999. A symbol of global goodwill and humanity, he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.
QUICK Nelson Mandela Facts for Kids
- NAME: Nelson Mandela
- OCCUPATION: Civil Rights Activist, World Leader, Writer
- BIRTH DATE: July 18, 1918
- DEATH DATE: December 05, 2013
- EDUCATION: Clarkebury Boarding Institute, Wesleyan College, University College of Fort Hare, University of London, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Mveso, Transkei, South Africa
- PLACE OF DEATH: Johannesburg, South Africa
- FULL NAME: Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela
- AKA: Nelson Mandela
- AKA: Rolihlahla
- NICKNAME: Madiba
- ORIGINALLY: Rolihlahla Mandela
- NICKNAME: Black Pimpernel
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