When you actually see the jail that Nelson Mandela was held in on Robbens Island just off Capetown for opposing apartheid (think Alcatraz) you can't help but feel humbled. He slept on the cement slab for most of the 18 years he was there:
And when you understand the extent of Mandela's involvement in ending apartheid and his rise to President, you feel incredibly uplifted:
Apartheid was a South African government mandate (set up in 1948) classifying non-whites, particularly blacks, as inferior to whites. In Cape Town, the government took legal ownership of their land and forced them into tin roof makeshift houses in 7 shantytown districts outside the city. Black people were not allowed to share food, bars, sports areas, restaurants, beaches, and toilets with white people. Apartheid laws determined where people should live and work, who they could go to school with, have as a neighbourhood or friend and who they could marry. White people ruled all of the economy, politics and education in South Africa.
There was actually a 'pencil test' that was performed in defining a black person. If the pencil stayed in the hair when inserted, you were classified as black and had to carry papers. If that failed, then the 'nose test' was given- blacks didn't have a sharp nose but a rounded nose and once determined, you were classified as black and lived a black life.
Mandala spent his life opposing apartheid, was jailed for 27 years because of this and wasn't released from prison until 1990. But it wasn't until 1991 that apartheid was dismantled and not until 1993 that nonwhites were allowed to vote. Mandela became President of South Africa in a free, democratic election in 1994 as head of the ANC (African National Congress); this party has held power ever since.
Mandela has many famous quotes but I offer you one:
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