Farewell to a Hero, President, Activist,
Tireless Advocate, Gift to the World

“Those who conduct themselves with morality, integrity and consistency need not fear the forces of inhumanity and cruelty.” ~ NELSON MANDELA

Born in 1918 in South Africa, Rolihlahla Mandela was the first in his family to obtain a formal education. His teacher later named him Nelson as part of a custom to give all schoolchildren Christian names.

He attended University of Fort Hare and University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg..

He helped form the youth league of the African National Congress, hoping to transform the organization into a more radical movement. So began Mandela’s civil disobedience and lifelong commitment to breaking the shackles of segregation in South Africa.

In 1962, Mandela secretly received military training in Morocco and Ethiopia. When he returned home later that year, he was arrested and charged with illegal exit of the country and incitement to strike. At the trial, instead of testifying, he opted to give a speech that and ended with a defiant statement.:

“I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination,” he said. “I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal, which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

Following his conviction,he spent 27 years in detention. On February 11, 1990, Mandela walked out of prison to thunderous applause, his clenched right fist raised above his head.

He reassured ANC supporters that his release was not part of a government deal and informed whites that he intended to work toward reconciliation.

Four years after his release, in South Africa’s first multiracial elections, he became the nation’s first black president. And as he was acclaimed as the force behind ending apartheid, he made it clear he was only one of many who helped transform South Africa into a democracy.

His final public appearance was in 2010 as South Africa was awarded the football World Cup.

He died December 5 at home at age 95.

Any current and past leaders who compare themselves to him are simply wrong. Nelson Mandela was a gift not only to Africa but also to the world. His shoes will remain unfilled. ■