The death of Nelson Mandela earlier this month sent shockwaves around the world. At the age of 95, he was regarded across the world as one of the most influential figures in history. A revolutionary and politician, Mandela was the first black President of South Africa and liberated his country from apartheid.
Her Campus Nottingham rounds up just a few of his life’s most memorable moments in pictures.
After being arrested in 1962, Nelson Mandela was taken to court and charged for the organisation of worker strikes and attempting to leave the country. He came to the stand and used the moment to outline his and the ANC’s objectives, saying: “During my lifetime I have dedicated my life 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 will live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal for which I hope to live for and to see realised. But, My Lord, if it needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”
After an astonishing 27 years in prison, Mandela was released in 1990, and this picture with his wife Winnie remains iconic to this day. Having been incarcerated for battling apartheid and planning to overthrow the state, he said after his release that: “our march to freedom is irreversible”.
Nelson Mandela jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for his contribution to civil rights. He pledged to continue to fight for freedom and equality; something that he succeeded in doing for the rest of his life.
This picture from 1994 shows Mandela casting his vote in South Africa’s first democratic election. He voted alongside millions who were doing so for the first time. He won as head of the ANC with 62% of the votes.
The inauguration of their new president marked a monumental moment for South Africa. After three centuries of white rule, the first black president was sworn in and delivered his iconic ‘Free at Last’ speech.
The country’s 1995 Rugby World Cup was a historic sporting event that you might know from the film Invictus. The South African team won and Mandela won the support of many, whilst the event symbolised a truly united country.
Nelson Mandela’s final public appearance came during the closing ceremony of the 2010 World Cup, after his country shone at holding one of biggest global sporting events.
I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear. Nelson Mandela, 1918-2013.