Nelson Mandela

It's fact
Mandela was married three times and his third wife Grace Machel became the only woman in history to hold the title of First Lady of two independent nations. She was married to the President of Mozambique, Sarnora Machel. Later in 1998 she married Nelson Mandela and became the First Lady of South Africa as well from 1998-1999. 

Nelson Mandela
````````South Africa's Answer to Martin Luther King jr. 
~~~~~~~~~~(1918 -        )

Born: 18th July, 1918 Mvezo, Eastern Cape, Union of South Africa 
Political party: African National Congress 
President of South Africa: In office 27th April, 1994— 14th June, 1999 
Vice President: Frederik Willem de Klerk Thabo Mbeki 
Preceded by: Frederik Willem de Klerk (State President of South Africa) 
Succeeded by: Thabo Mbeki 

The word "apartheid" meaning segregation in Afrikann language was intimately associated with South Africa. The white people and black people were segregated and this was a part of the law in South Africa from 1948. 

During this time a black lawyer Nelson Mandela who was in prison worked tirelessly against apartheid. He was sent to jail in 1961 and was charged with treason and was incarcerated in Robben Island from 1961-1990. He was later released from jail and in 1994 became the first black leader of South Africa. 

Nelson Mandela was the most famous political prisoner of the last century. Mandela was in prison because he was the leader of the ANC(African National Congress) which was outlawed in South Africa at that time. He joined the ANC in 1944 as he was one of the founding members of its youth league. In 1960 the South African government outlawed the ANC and Mandela was sent to 5 years to jail together with Walter Sisulu.

Mandela's imprisonment became an international affair as many politicians worked for his release. In 1988 a concert attended by nearly 70,000 people, to celebrate his 70th birthday was heald at Wembley Stadium in London. 

Mandela was released from Jail in 1990 and worked with then South African President F.W. de Clerk. In 1993 they were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace for bringing peace and reconciliation to South Africa. Next year the first nonracial multiparty election was held in that country where the ANC won convincingly. Mandela then became the President of South Africa and held this post from 1994-1999. 

Mandela's political philosophy was built with the pillars of peace as he believed that his country should first heal the wounds of apartheid. He was successful in advancing this, making him another peacemaker in history. 

It should be noted that Mandela was given the name Nelson on his first day in primary school, where his original name was Rolihalahla meaning "tree shaker". Mandela Later studied law and started South Africa's all black law firm with Oliver Tambo. At present Mandela is the elder statesman of South Africa and lives in semi-retirement. 

Posted in: Greatest Leaders