Folk heroes come in all shapes and sizes. These are people who are recognized for their virtues and deeds. In almost all cases their work in the world makes a difference for others.
One of today’s folk heroes is Nelson Mandela. His 95th birthday is July 18 and that day has become one of celebration around the world. It is also a time to reflect upon the greatness and courage of this man as South African’s first black president. He was born Rolihlahla Mandela in Mvezo, South Africa. Rolihlahla in the Xhosa language means, “pulling the branch of a tree,” and more simply translates to “troublemaker.” This was an ominous name for Mandela who fully embodied a desire to change the status quo.
When he was 9 years old his schoolteacher changed his name to Nelson Mandela. Soon after his father died of lung disease and Nelson’s life took a major turn. A family friend, Chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo the acting regent of the Thembu people, offered to have Nelson live with him.
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Mandela later attended Fort Hare University and the University of Witwatersrand where he studied law. He also joined the African National Congress (ANC) and became a founding member if it’s Youth League. He rose to prominence in 1952 during the ANC’s Defiance Campaign and was elected President of the Transvaal ANC Branch. As a lawyer he was repeatedly arrested for various anti- apartheid activities.
However, in the 1962 Rivonia Trial, Mandela was arrested and convicted of sabotage and conspiracy to overthrow the government and sentenced to life imprisonment. He served 27 years, first on Robben Island, and later in Pollsmoor and Victor Verster prisons. While there he earned a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of London and began one of his many autobiographies Long Walk to Freedom.
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At last he was freed in 1990 after a change in leadership and countless protests, and along side President F.W. de Klerk worked to abolish apartheid and establish multiracial elections.
In 1993 Mandela and Klerk were both awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their work. On April 24, 1994 South Africa had their first democratic elections, and on May 10, 1994 Mandela was elected the first black president of South Africa at the age of 77. The next year he was also awarded the Order of Merit.
