Nelson Mandela: biografi og kamp mod apartheid

Nelson Mandela, father of the nation. The earlier South African president Nelson Mandela and his Family belonged to the Thembu tribe, who had their roots in the Transkei, in south east South-Africa. He was raised with the Xhosa language. Mandela’s originally name was Rolihlahla, but at the age of 7, when Mandela just has started school, his teacher refused to call him by his African name, so she decided to call him Nelson. When Mandela was in the Christian school, he had English, Xhosa and history. The history book began at 1652, when the Dutchman Jan Van came to Cape Town, but nothing was written about the black people who already lived in the South Africa. The apartheid (racial segregation) showed off. In 1939 Nelson went on Fort Hare University, one day the deputy prime minister of the white government, Jan smuts visited the University. He told Nelson and all the other students, that Adolf Hitler and the Nazis were trying to conquer Europe. He said that all the good people should fight for England for freedom, and in that exact moment Nelson agreed with Jan Smuts, but later the same day Nelson met a black student who called Jan Smuts a white racist and said that England deserved no help, because they were holding down the natives in South-Africa. And from that moment, Nelson starts reconsider his owns opinion. The black student, who called Jan Smuts a white racist was a member of the ANC (African National Congress who fought for anti-apartheid, and equal rights between black and whites). That black student’s mentality laid the foundation of Nelsons curiosity about racism. After he graduated University he had his first job. Because he was a black man, he needed to tell a few lies to get his first job, and he succeeded. He got a work in a goldmine in Johannesburg. While staying in Johannesburg, he began studying in the evening for a law degree at the University of South Africa. He became a lawyer, and started the first ever black lawyer firm with his partner, Oliver Thambo. He became a member of the ANC, and after some time, he got promoted to a more important and higher ranked leader, than just a member. After the 1948 election victory of the African-dominated National Party, which supported the apartheid policy of racial segregation, Mandela began actively participating in politics. In 1950 the government introduced 2 laws. The first one devided the country up by their colour and the second one made each group live in special areas.