Nelson Mandela dead at 95

Nelson Mandela stands as one of the most powerful symbolic figures of the past century, embodying notions of freedom, peace, racial reconciliation and the struggle against tyranny.

An impassioned South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and politician who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.

His message of reconciliation, not vengeance, inspired the world after he negotiated a peaceful end to segregation and urged forgiveness for the white government that imprisoned him.

“As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn’t leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I’d still be in prison,” Mandela said after he was freed in in 1990.

Mandela, as former president, battled health issues in recent years, including a recurring lung infection that led to numerous hospitalizations.

“Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father,” South African President Jacob Zuma said. “What made Nelson Mandela great was precisely what made him human. We saw in him what we seek in ourselves.”

Despite chronic political violence before the vote that put him in office in 1994, South Africa avoided a full-fledged civil war in its transition from apartheid to multiparty democracy. The peace was due in large part to the leadership and vision of Mandela and de Klerk.

“We were expected by the world to self-destruct in the bloodiest civil war along racial grounds,” Mandela said during a 2004 celebration to mark a decade of democracy in South Africa.

“Not only did we avert such racial conflagration, we created amongst ourselves one of the most exemplary and progressive nonracial and nonsexist democratic orders in the contemporary world.”

When the elections were held in April 1994, the ex-prisoner became the next president and embarked on a mission of racial reconciliation, government rebuilding and economic rehabilitation.

A year into his tenure, with racial tensions threatening to explode into civil war, Mandela orchestrated an iconic, unifying moment: He donned the green jersey of the Springboks rugby team – beloved by whites, despised by blacks – to present the World Cup trophy to the team captain while the stunned crowd erupted in cheers of “Nelson! Nelson!”

He chose to serve only one five-year term – during which he divorced his second wife, Winnie, a controversial activist, and married his third, Graca, the widow of the late president of Mozambique.

Springbok captain Francois Pienaar receives the Rugby World Cup from South African President Nelson Mandela at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on June 24, 1995.

[hr]

Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison before his release in February 1990. During that time, a global anti-apartheid campaign took off, and his international influence grew exponentially. Below are some of the posters used in the campaign.

[scroller]

1967-ospaaal

1967 In November 1962, the General Assembly called upon members of the United Nations to impose economic sanctions on South Africa because of its policy of racial segregation.

Poster for OSPAAAL, by Berta Abelenda, 1968. Digital image by Lincoln Cushing.

1968 Although the United States had condemned the apartheid in the 1960s, it would take nearly two decades for the American government to impose strict sanctions.

1970-aam

1970 This poster was from a campaign by the British Anti-Apartheid Movement. The organization forced the cancellation of a 1970 tour of Britain by the all-white South African cricket team.

1977 The illustration is an homage to Hector Petersen, a student killed during the uprising in the Soweto township of Johannesburg (photo). In June 1976, students rose up against the government’s decision to enforce education in Afrikaans. More than 570 people were killed in the months of violence that followed. The uprising was a turning point for the resistance.

Sam Nzima

1979-niza

1979 This poster, titled “Total Economic and Military Boycott of South Africa,” was designed for the Dutch Anti-Apartheid Movement. It shows several Dutch companies that were then doing business with South Africa and was part of a campaign calling for a boycott.

1980-aam

1980 In March 1980, South Africa’s Sunday Post newspaper published a petition for the release of Nelson Mandela. The British Anti-Apartheid Movement produced a campaign in support, which was endorsed by trade unions, artists, academics and many members of the British Parliament.

1980-aam-rally

1980 This poster was created for a rally commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Freedom Charter, a statement by the South African Congress Alliance, an association of groups opposed to apartheid. The charter called for equal rights for all races in South Africa.

1981-mass

1981 This poster was part of a campaign for a bill requiring Massachusetts pension funds to sell stocks and bonds in companies doing business in South Africa. The bill passed in 1982. Several other American states and cities passed similar legislation.

1981-lsm

1981 During the 1970s and 1980s, many North American groups campaigned in support of national liberation movements in Africa. This poster was created for the Liberation Support Movement, which was founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, and had branches in California and New York.

1982-aac

1982 In the early 1980s, local groups worked to explain apartheid to the American public. This poster was created for a two-part forum on South Africa and apartheid, held at a high school in Grand Rapids, Mich. Richard Knight, from the African Activist Archive Project at Michigan State University, talks about the anti-apartheid movement in the United States.

1984-glover

1984 In the mid-1980s, a campaign to impose economic sanctions on South Africa gained support among American politicians and artists, like the actor Danny Glover, who is featured in this poster.

1988-aam

1988 A concert by the British Anti-Apartheid Movement brought 72,000 people to London’s Wembley Stadium in June 1988, as part of the “Nelson Mandela: Freedom at 70” campaign. Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston and Sting were among the performers. The concert was broadcast to 60 countries.

1990-aam

1990 This poster celebrated Mr. Mandela’s release from prison in February 1990 and called for the release of other South African political prisoners. Mr. Mandela visited Britain in April and spoke at a concert at Wembley Stadium.

1990-trip

1990 In June 1990, Mr. Mandela embarked on an eight-city American tour. A crowd of 58,000 people attended his appearance in Oakland, Calif.

1994-button-black-background

1994 This button is from the 1994 South African presidential campaign, the first democratic non-apartheid elections in the country.

[/scroller] [hr][hr]

After leaving politics, he concentrated on his philanthropic foundation. He began speaking out on AIDS, which had ravaged his country and which some critics said he had not made a priority as president.

When he officially announced he was leaving public life in 2004, it signaled he was slowing down, but he still made his presence known. For his 89th birthday, he launched a “council of elders,” statesmen and women from around the world who would promote peace. For his 90th, he celebrated at a star-studded concert in London’s Hyde Park.

As he noted in 2003, “If there is anything that would kill me it is to wake up in the morning not knowing what to do.”

The ANC called him “a colossus.”

“Madiba loved South Africa,” it said in a statement.

“We recall the strength of his fist punching the air as he stepped out of prison after 27 years; and his sternness during the negotiations for the freedom of our beloved country. We celebrate his ever-present smile, the cheerful Madiba jive, his love for children and great respect for the women of this country.

Related Posts