This is what I wrote for my 9 year old son:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
Click on the video of the BBC report of Mandela's release.
Nelson Mandela was a member of the military wing (i.e. they had guns and used violence) of the A.N.C. (the African National Congress) which was an organisation which supported freedom for black people in Africa. They were especially active in South Africa where they had a system called "apartheid" (pronounced apart-hate) which meant that the white people were very rich and controlled everything; the army, the government,education, everything. The black people were kept very poor, lived in terrible conditions and very little education, healthcare or other facilities.
Of course the white goverment called Mandela a terrorist and put him in prison, where he stayed for 27 years. He became very well known all over the world and the symbol for many of the struggle for freedom. As I grew up and became a young man with my peers, he was our real life hero. There was a permenant demonstation outside the South African emabassy in Trafalgar square calling for his release, pop songs and many other protests.
20 years ago today, the white president F.W. De Clerk agreed to release him, for complex reasons. Along with the world, I watched on television as he walked free. A day we never believed would come.
He was 71 when he was released. The way he conducted himself with incredible dignity and authority was amazingly impressive; for once a hero lived up to our expectations. He worked to bring people together and create a positive future. When apartheid was ended and he became president of South Africa, he was very careful to encourage people to be positive about living together and to discourage revenge. To help with this he set up a "Truth and Reconciliation Comission" which worked to bring out the truth of what had happened under apartheid and then move on positively, including white people in the process. In my opinion, this was a brilliant move - he knew it was a bad idea to squash the white people as his people had been squashed - no good would have come from it.
He still lives and is to me and many others, the most powerful symbol I have ever known of the struggle for freedom for all people. So many great hopes are never realised and end in sorrow, so it felt incredibly moving when he was released. These victories are rare. It gave me and others hope for the future that things can change for the better.
There is much more to this story. Less has changed in terms of who has the wealth in South Africa than we hoped...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
Click on the video of the BBC report of Mandela's release.
Nelson Mandela was a member of the military wing (i.e. they had guns and used violence) of the A.N.C. (the African National Congress) which was an organisation which supported freedom for black people in Africa. They were especially active in South Africa where they had a system called "apartheid" (pronounced apart-hate) which meant that the white people were very rich and controlled everything; the army, the government,education, everything. The black people were kept very poor, lived in terrible conditions and very little education, healthcare or other facilities.
Of course the white goverment called Mandela a terrorist and put him in prison, where he stayed for 27 years. He became very well known all over the world and the symbol for many of the struggle for freedom. As I grew up and became a young man with my peers, he was our real life hero. There was a permenant demonstation outside the South African emabassy in Trafalgar square calling for his release, pop songs and many other protests.
20 years ago today, the white president F.W. De Clerk agreed to release him, for complex reasons. Along with the world, I watched on television as he walked free. A day we never believed would come.
He was 71 when he was released. The way he conducted himself with incredible dignity and authority was amazingly impressive; for once a hero lived up to our expectations. He worked to bring people together and create a positive future. When apartheid was ended and he became president of South Africa, he was very careful to encourage people to be positive about living together and to discourage revenge. To help with this he set up a "Truth and Reconciliation Comission" which worked to bring out the truth of what had happened under apartheid and then move on positively, including white people in the process. In my opinion, this was a brilliant move - he knew it was a bad idea to squash the white people as his people had been squashed - no good would have come from it.
He still lives and is to me and many others, the most powerful symbol I have ever known of the struggle for freedom for all people. So many great hopes are never realised and end in sorrow, so it felt incredibly moving when he was released. These victories are rare. It gave me and others hope for the future that things can change for the better.
There is much more to this story. Less has changed in terms of who has the wealth in South Africa than we hoped...
