Nelson Mandela - one of the most respected person in the world

I know that my blog is not a history book but the last few weeks I visited different Townships. I was in Johannesburg where Nelson Mandela lived. I got an impression what does it mean to be NON WHITE during my visit in the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg. I saw the prison on Robben Island where our tour guide was a former prisoner. He gave us a real picture about political prisoners life during Apartheid Regime. I enjoyed my stay in the beautiful Stellenbosch, which has an ugly historical background because it is the birthplace of the segregation as known APARTHEID. It is very interesting and very sad part of the history of South Africa. After this experience I look at the life through different eyes and I feel like that I have to share this interesting historical part on my blog.

Apart areas

Hendrik Verwoerd was born in Amsterdam en grew up in South Africa. He was an excellent student and he became a professor of psychology at University of Stellenbosch. He is also called as the "Architect of Apartheid". He had the main role defining the apartheid policy. Apartheid is an "Afrikaan" word which means "apartness". The whole world took over this word without translation for the ideology of racial segregation. In South Africa it became government policy in 1948. It separates white from natives, coloureds and Asians, in every area of life.

Anti Apartheid Movements

After World War II the National Party got an important role in the Government between 1948 and 1994.Townships were created around big cities by the Apartheid Government. These are separated residential aresa for non-white people who were not permitted to live in the centre. From 1960 to 1983 3,5 million non white South Africans were removed from their homes and forced into segregated neighbourhoods. The townships were very poor where people built houses from garbage of piles. The people live here without the proper services such as sewage, clean water, electricity and good roads. The government made plenty of roles against human rights: prohibition of mix marriages, municipal grounds were reserved for the white people. They had different beaches, public transport, other entrances etc.

 

Bus stop for NON WHITES

Nelson Mandela was born 1918 in South Africa. His birth name was Rolihlahla. Nelson is his nickname which he got from a teacher in school. He studied in the University of Witwatersrand and he got his law degree. He became a leader in the African National Congress. He planned to bomb certain buildings, but only buildings. He did not want to hurt anyone, he only wanted to get attention. He was classified as a terrorist by the South African Government and sent to prison. He spent 18 years from the 27 in Robben Island. Because of Mandela's prison sentence, the anti-apartheid movement got a lot of international visibility. Mandela never gave up his ideology and he became the most famous prisoner of the world. Even the prison guards admired and respected him. He was released through international pressure in 1990. He continued his campaign to end apartheid, to achieve human rights and a better future for everyone in South Africa. He worked very hard for freedom. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for peace in 1993. When all races were allowed to vote first time in the 1994 election, Mandela won the election and became president of South Africa. Nelson Mandela is one of the most respected people in the world for his courage and wisdom in bringing people together to live in peace. He was during all his life fighting against apartheid and he became a symbol of the injustice of apartheid. When he was president he focused on building peace and unity in South Africa. I most like this quote of Nelson Mandela because he never gave up his dreams and ideology:

"During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die. "

Nelson Mandela