NELSON MANDELA

“No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”

Former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela has died aged 95 after a long fight against illness.

One of the most inspiring figures of the 20th century, he  guided the country from apartheid to democracy during a life filled with hardship and struggle.

Born in 1918 into the Xhosa clan he was known to South Africans by his clan name, 'Madiba', or 'Tata', which means 'father'.

Nelson Mandela served 27 years in prison  where he contracted tuberculosis which was to weaken his lungs until the end of his life. His experiences of incarceration and subsequent release were documented in his autobiography, Long Walk To Freedom.

He served as President of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1991 to 1997 and was internationally known. 
In 1993 Nelson Mandela shared the Nobel Peace Prize with F.W. de Klerk for dismantling apartheid.

He was voted in as the first black president of South Africa in the first fully representative, multiracial election in 1994. He held the post until his retirement in 1999.

Although he retired from political life, Nelson Mandela continued to lend his voice towards issues that affect his country and the world at large, such as the AIDS epidemic, poverty, and human rights. He was also instrumental in securing South Africa as the host of the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

Click here to read an interesting and informative article about Nelson Mandela.