Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, in Mvezo, a small village in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. His father was a local chief and a member of the Thembu tribe, one of South Africa's many ethnic groups.

Mandela attended a missionary school and then went on to study law at the University of Fort Hare, where he became involved in student politics. In 1944, he joined the African National Congress (ANC), a political organization that fought for the rights of black South Africans who were oppressed under the country's apartheid system.

In the 1950s, Mandela rose to prominence within the ANC and became one of the organization's most vocal leaders. He led campaigns of civil disobedience against the apartheid government, and in 1961, he helped to found the ANC's military wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation).


Mandela's activism eventually led to his arrest in 1962, and he was sentenced to life in prison for sabotage and conspiracy to overthrow the government. He spent the next 27 years in prison, during which time he became a symbol of the struggle against apartheid.

In 1990, Mandela was released from prison, and he quickly became the face of the movement to end apartheid in South Africa. He negotiated with the government for the country's first democratic elections, which were held in 1994. Mandela was elected president of South Africa, becoming the first black person to hold the office.

During his presidency, Mandela worked to promote reconciliation and to build a new, democratic South Africa. He created the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which investigated the human rights abuses that had occurred during the apartheid era, and he worked to improve the lives of South Africa's impoverished black population.


After leaving office in 1999, Mandela continued to be a respected and influential figure in South African and global politics. He founded the Nelson Mandela Foundation, which works to promote human rights, and he remained a vocal advocate for social justice until his death on December 5, 2013

Mandela was widely regarded as a symbol of peace and hope, and he received numerous honors for his contributions to human rights, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. His life and legacy continue to inspire people around the world to this day.