Who was Nelson Mandela?
We have all heard of Mahatma Gandhi. He played a really big role in the freedom struggle of India. Even today he is remembered by us Indians. But have you heard of Nelson Mandela? He was a freedom fighter from South Africa. South African people love him like Indians love Gandhiji. Mandela fought for the rights of black people in South Africa.
How were the people of South Africa treated?
When Nelson Mandela was born, South Africa was ruled by the British. Just like India was! In those days, black people were treated very badly.
There were rules against black people. They had to live in areas far away from white people. Black children went to different schools. They even had to use different bathrooms. This made black people and white people dislike each other.
This came to be known as apartheid. Nelson Mandela fought hard to abolish apartheid. For this, he was even jailed by the South African government.
What were the contributions made by Nelson Mandela?
Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in jail! But even this didn’t break his spirit. Even after he left jail, he continued to fight for the freedom of South Africans. Finally, in 1993, Mandela and his supporters were able to end apartheid. In 1994, the people chose Mandela to become their president.
How did Mandela manage South Africa as its president?
Mandela made sure that the black people in Africa were treated the same way as white people.
Nelson Mandela is remembered as a great man. He devoted his life to fighting for the people of South Africa. We can learn many great lessons from his life. If we fight hard for what’s right, we will win in the end!
