Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born on July 18, 1918, in the village of Mvezo in Umtata, then part of South Africa’s Cape Province. He belonged to the Thembu royal family. Mandela attended the University of Fort Hare, where he studied law. Later, he completed his law degree through correspondence at the University of South Africa while working as a clerk in Johannesburg.

Mandela became involved in the anti-apartheid movement in his early adulthood. In 1943, he joined the African National Congress (ANC), a political party dedicated to fighting racial segregation and discrimination. Mandela became a key figure in the ANC’s struggle against apartheid, the system of institutionalized racial segregation enforced by the South African government.

In 1962, Mandela was arrested and subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment for his involvement in planning sabotage against the apartheid government. He spent 27 years in prison, mostly on Robben Island, a maximum-security prison off the coast of Cape Town. During his imprisonment, he became a global symbol of resistance to apartheid and injustice.

Mandela was released from prison on February 11, 1990, amid growing international pressure and internal political reforms. After his release, he led negotiations to dismantle apartheid and establish multiracial elections in 1994.

In 1994, Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s first black president after the ANC won the country’s first fully representative democratic elections. He served as president from 1994 to 1999. During his presidency, Mandela worked to reconcile the deeply divided nation and implemented policies to address the social and economic disparities caused by apartheid.

After his presidency, Mandela continued his humanitarian and advocacy work, focusing on issues such as HIV/AIDS awareness and global peace. He established organizations like the Nelson Mandela Foundation to promote social justice and equality.

Nelson Mandela passed away on December 5, 2013, at the age of 95. He is remembered as a symbol of peace, forgiveness, and the struggle for human rights. His legacy continues to inspire people worldwide, and he is widely regarded as one of the most significant figures in the fight against racial oppression and injustice.