Description: This biography traces the life and work of South Africa's first democratically elected president, beginning with his early years in a tiny village in the Transkei and following him through his years in Johannesburg and his involvement with the liberation movement. It traces Mandela's evolution as a politician: through his grim imprisonment on Robben Island, to the talks that preceded his release and election as President of South Africa. Nelson Mandela's release from prison and his election as South Africa's first democratically appointed president ushered in the beginning of the country's golden age. To a people that had known death squads, unspeakable violence, and the stripping of their dignity, he brought hope, pride, and a new patriotism. He showed that reconciliation, forgiveness, and tolerance are not only possible, but an imperative. In the process, he has transformed South Africa from a pariah nation to a world leader in democracy. This book describes the tremendous challenges faced, by Nelson Mandela, and those who followed him, in trying to heal his beloved land. It depicts Nelson Mandela the politician, the patient and the angry, the man who is never too busy to stop and listen to a child. In a society where class renders some people invisible, such as security guards, cleaners, and waiters, and where most fail to acknowledge their presence, Mandela will always stop and clasp them by the hand and talk to them. Every ordinary person who has met Mandela has been made to feel special as he weaves his "Madiba magic". The liberation struggle, to which he has devoted his life, did not end with the first democratic elections in 1994. It continues in the form of a struggle foreconomic justice, without which democracy cannot survive.

Please Wait