Nelson Mandela: The Invincible Soul Who Changed the World

Nelson Mandela, born Rolihlahla Dalibhunga on July 18, 1918, in Qunu, South Africa, became the father of modern South Africa and one of the most beloved global leaders of the 20th century. After his father's death, he was sent to a Presbyterian school where he learned the importance of education. At 22, he broke with his tribe to avoid an arranged marriage and moved to Johannesburg to study law. He joined the African National Congress (ANC) and in 1943 founded the ANC Youth League. Following the 1948 election of the pro-apartheid National Party, Mandela dedicated himself to ending apartheid, opening a law practice offering free aid to victims. Initially a Gandhian non-violent resister, he was arrested in 1956 for treason but acquitted after a six-year trial. After the 1960 Sharpeville massacre, he co-founded the armed wing MK, was arrested in 1962, and sentenced to life imprisonment. He spent 27 years in prison, mostly on Robben Island, refusing release in 1985 unless the ANC renounced armed struggle. After his release, he became South Africa's first black president in 1994, having won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. He is remembered as a reconciler who united a divided nation. The article also compares Mandela to Abdullah Öcalan and Marwan Barghouti as symbols of oppressed peoples.