Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, in the small village of Mwezo, in the southeastern part of the country, and was given the name Rolilahla Mandela
On the occasion of the 96th anniversary of Nelson Mandela's birth, Google is dedicating today's doodle to the human rights advocate.
An emblematic figure in the struggle to eliminate inequalities and discrimination, imprisoned for 27 years before becoming the first black president of South Africa in the first elections without racial segregation, Nelson Mandela holds a special place in 20th century history as a fighter against the last racist regime in the Western world.
Mandela was born on 18 July 1918 in the small village of Mwezo, in the southeastern part of the country, and was given the name Rolilahla Mandela. He received the name Nelson from a teacher on his first day at school, but in the country he would later become known simply as Mandiba, the name of his tribe.
In 1937 he was sent to a Methodist missionary college, where for the first time in his life he developed a friendly relationship with people of a different race than himself. Eventually, to avoid an arranged marriage, he ended up in Johannesburg, where he began studying law.
As a student, he fought for political and social rights to be given to the numerous indigenous groups in South Africa. In 1944 he joined the African National Congress (ANC), founding with others the ANC Youth.
Mandela's political views would include the anti-colonial struggle, the fight against institutionalized racial discrimination, Marxism, and even Mahatma Gandhi's principle of nonviolent resistance.
In 1952, he first encountered the apartheid justice system when he was restricted from political activity under the Suppression of Communism Act.
Later that year, he opened, with Oliver Tambo, South Africa's first all-black law firm. While practicing law, Mandela campaigned against apartheid and in 1956 was charged with high treason. After a lengthy trial against him and his co-defendants, the charges were eventually dropped.
The apartheid regime, however, increasingly hardened its stance and finally in 1960 the African National Congress was declared illegal. With it, Mandela, who had moved away from the principle of non-violence, went underground. Eventually, he was arrested again, charged with sabotage and attempting to overthrow the government and sentenced in 1964 to life imprisonment.
With Mandela in prison and his leadership in exile, the ANC members and the indigenous people of South Africa proceeded with uprisings that ended in bloody repression. The ANC cadres who were abroad chose to launch a campaign in the international community against Apartheid around one person - the imprisoned Nelson Mandela.
Inside and outside South Africa, Mandiba became a symbol of oppression and the struggle for freedom and equality.
The developments, which were also helped by international outcry, led to the restoration of the ANC and the release of Mandela on 11 February 1990. As leader of the ANC, he initiated talks with the government for a state in which all citizens would be equal before the law regardless of race by drafting a new constitution.
He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, together with the then president of the country, F. de Klerk, in 1993. In the elections the following year, the ANC won with an absolute majority and on 9 May Mandela was elected by the new Parliament as the first president of South Africa.
After the end of his term in 1999, he took part as a mediator in various peace negotiations in Africa. He finally retired from public life in 2004 due to health problems. His public appearances have become increasingly rare since then.
Nelson Mandela died on December 5, 2013.
Source: protothema.gr
