Biography on Nelson Mandela

Rolihlahla ( Nelson Mandela )

Nelson Mandela was born in South Africa on July 18, 1918. Nelson’s familiar name: Nelson was not given to him until the first day of school by Miss Mdingane. This is because that was the custom among Africans in those days. The name given to him on his birth is Rolihlahla. In Xhosa Rolihlahla literally means “pulling the branch of the tree”, but its literal meaning is “troublemaker”.

Nelson Mandela’s father, Henry had four wives and thirteen children and Nelson was the youngest son. The family lived in three huts which were made out of mud bricks. One of them was for cooking, one for storage and the other hut was for sleeping. Everything they ate they had grown or made them self. When Nelson was nine years old his father died. Shortly afterwards Nelson’s mother said that he was going to leave Qunu which is where he lived. 

Nelson fought for the freedom of the black people because he wanted the black and the white to have equal rights. He protested with the black people, did speeches and many other things to get freedom for the black. Nelson went to jail many times because while he was fighting for freedom Nelson did things that the black weren’t allowed to do even though the white were allowed to do it. Because of this Nelson Mandala got sent to jail.

In 1952 the ANC ( African National Congress) designated a new president: Chief Albert Luthuli. Nelson became one of the four deputy presidents and Nelson was the first deputy president. 

Nelson has spent most of his life fighting for the freedom of the black and for equal rights for everyone. I think that he was a great man because he knew that the skin color does not matter but it is what’s inside that counts. Because of Nelson Mandela there are now equal rights for everyone in most parts of the world and it has made it a much nicer place to live in.