The death of Nelson Mandela it has put the whole world in mourning, as it is one of the last reserves of courage, decency and sense of equality. After spending a third of his life behind bars, for defending his ideals, Madiba did not exploit his resentments with a desire for revenge against his jailers. On the contrary, he practiced tolerance and put himself above those who tried to bend him, even under the possibility of being considered a "soft hand" with those who treated him and his family so badly. This example of temperance moved many people after his release in 1990 and since then, his figure has become an emblem of peace and hope for a better world. On this note, a heartfelt goodbye to Nelson Mandela , on his journey to eternal freedom:
When he was born, on July 18, 1918, in Umtata, a small community in eastern South Africa, his father called him “Rolihlahla” which in Xhosa, one of the languages South African officials, it is said to mean "troublemaker" or "troublemaker". But Mandela he would be called by multiple names during his long life which passed away yesterday, December 5, 2013, at the age of 95.
His teacher named him Nelson on his first day of elementary school, according to the Nelson Mandela Foundation It is not known for sure why he chose that particular name but at the time it was common to give African children English names so that the British colonists could more easily call them. Who would tell that teacher that she was "baptizing" one of the most influential men in contemporary history?
At age 16, Mandela , like other Xhosa boys, he was formally initiated into adulthood as a man through a traditional ceremony and then given the name Dalibhunga, which means "creator and founder of a council" or "coordinator of dialogue",
He was also called Madiba , as a sign of affection and respect, by the name of the Thembu clan to which he belonged. Other known names were Tata, a Xhosa word that means “father”, very similar to Quechua, right? Another Xhosa appellation was Khulu which is short for "grandfather" but also means "great, magnificent."
This was the life of Mandela , as its names narrated, the life of a fighter who used violent methods at the beginning of his war against apartheid, a system of racial segregation that was imposed in his country and that established separation between racial groups and the supremacy of race white who made up only 21% of the population of South Africa in the late 1940s when it was established.
Mandela he effectively sought the lawsuit to liberate his people from this oppressive regime, he organized the resistance from the African National Congress. He also had to remain in hiding and from this he launched a plan of economic sabotage which could cost him the death penalty, however in an act of defiance Mandela he presented himself to the audience wearing traditional Thembu attire. Finally, he was sentenced to life in prison in June 1964, accused of undermining the government.
Every morning during the captivity of him Mandela He was chained to work as a stonecutter in lime quarries which caused irreversible damage to his lungs and eyesight, however he remained firm to his convictions during his years in prison and his reputation grew worldwide. During this time he lost his mother and a son whom he was unable to fire, however despite the harshness of his prison conditions, he studied by correspondence in an external program at the University of London, where he obtained a Bachelor of Laws degree.
In the eighties, an old companion of Mandela Oliver Tambo, who was in exile, started an international campaign for his release. The intensification of sanctions against the apartheid regime had positive results and on February 11, 1990, after 27 years in prison, South African President Frederick de Klerk released Mandela . After this, talks began aimed at the formation of a multiracial democracy, but the white minority rejected the calls for free elections and the clashes brought the country to the brink of civil war.
In December 1993, Mandela and de Klerk jointly received the Nobel Peace Prize for all their efforts to achieve the integration of their country. Five months later, on April 16, 1994, millions of people lined up to participate in the first free elections in South African history. Mandela He participated as a voter and as a candidate and won the first elections, taking office on May 10 of that year. Then his name of “dialogue creator” appeared more clearly than ever.
Then Mandela He sought from his position as South African leader and figure of world influence to transmit a message of reconciliation as the only way to rebuild the unity of his country while at the same time embodying with his actions the ideals of freedom and justice that he defended. He chose forgiveness over hate and built bridges to the enemy, always with dignity.
An example that he kept during his last years, when he became the “father”, the “grandfather”, the “magnificent”, who did not stop appearing as a figure inspiring in the search for peace in the whole world.
Mandela he has died, the legend of him has just been born.
See the following link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/world/news/2013/12/111222_new_mandela_obituary_am.shtml