1. About Nelson Mandela: Nelson Mandela was a Black nationalist and the first Black president of South Africa (1994-99).
2. Birth Name : Rolihlahla meaning “to pull a branch off a tree” and “troublemaker”
3. Born on : July 18, 1918.
4. Died on : December 5, 2013.
5. Nationality : South African.
6. Born place : Mvezo, South Africa.
7. Schooling : He completed his Junior Certificate at Clarkebury Boarding Institute and went on to Healdtown, a Wesleyan secondary school of some repute, where he matriculated.
8. Early life and work : Nelson Mandela was the son of Chief Henry Mandela of the Madiba clan of the Xhosa-speaking Tembu people. After his father’s death, young Nelson was raised by Jongintaba, the regent of the Tembu. Nelson renounced his claim to the chieftainship to become a lawyer.
9. Education : He attended South African Native College (later the University of Fort Hare) and studied law at the University of the Witwatersrand; he later passed the qualification exam to become a lawyer.
10. Mother’s Name : Nonqaphi Nosekeni.
11. Father’s Name : Nkosi Mphakanyiswa Gadla Mandela.
12. Wives Name : Evelyn, Winnie, and Graca.
13. Children : Madiba Thembekile Mandela, Makaziwe Mandela, Magkatho Lewanika Mandela, Pumla Makaziwe Mandela, Zenani Dlamini, Zindzi Mandela.
14. Hobbies : Long-distance running and boxing.
15. Black lives : When Nelson Mandela was on trial in 1962 for leaving the country illegally and for inciting a workers’ strike, he donned the traditional dress of Thembu polities, declined legal representation, and argued that he was a black man in a white man’s court.
16. Entering politics : Mandela, while increasingly politically involved from 1942, only joined the African National Congress in 1944 when he helped to form the ANC Youth League (ANCYL).
17. President : On 10 May 1994 he was inaugurated as South Africa’s first democratically elected President. True to his promise, Mandela stepped down in 1999 after one term as President.
18. Establishment of Foundation : He continued to work with the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund he set up in 1995 and established the Nelson Mandela Foundation and The Mandela Rhodes Foundation.
19. Quotes : “A winner is a dreamer who never gives up.“
20. Awards and Honours : Nobel Prize (1993) and He won over 250 other awards
21. Mandela Day : The day is observed on the birthday of Nelson Mandela. It was created to honor his legacy by promoting community service around the world. The first time, it was observed on July 18, 2009, and was sponsored primarily by the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the 46664 initiative. Later that year, the United Nations declared that the day would be observed every year as Nelson Mandela International Day.
22. Autobiography : In 1994, the autobiography Long Walk to Freedom which shows his early life and years in prison was published. Also, an unfinished draft of his second volume of memoirs which was then completed by Mandla Langa was released posthumously as Dare Not Linger: The Presidential Years (2017).
23. Cameo Role : He had a part in Spike Lee’s 1992 biopic “Malcolm X.” At the very end of the movie, he plays a teacher reciting Malcolm X’s famous speech to a room full of Soweto school kids.
24. Favorite Food : One of his favorite meals was tripe, which is served in many African cultures.
25. Mandela wasn’t removed from the US terror watch list until 2008 – at the age of 89.
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