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Nelson Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom: 9 Mile Stone, Bagalagunte, Bangalore-560 073

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Nelson Mandela's autobiography describes his inauguration as South Africa's first Black president on May 10, 1994 after decades of apartheid rule. The ceremony was attended by leaders from over 140 countries. Mandela acknowledged the sacrifices of thousands of Black heroes who fought for freedom. He promised to build an inclusive society without oppression and revive communities long suffering under apartheid's poverty and discrimination. The autobiography provides context on Mandela's life struggles against apartheid and his vision for a democratic, non-racial South Africa.

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Nelson Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom: 9 Mile Stone, Bagalagunte, Bangalore-560 073

Uploaded by

teju.ganeshc
65 views4 pages
Nelson Mandela's autobiography describes his inauguration as South Africa's first Black president on May 10, 1994 after decades of apartheid rule. The ceremony was attended by leaders from over 140 countries. Mandela acknowledged the sacrifices of thousands of Black heroes who fought for freedom. He promised to build an inclusive society without oppression and revive communities long suffering under apartheid's poverty and discrimination. The autobiography provides context on Mandela's life struggles against apartheid and his vision for a democratic, non-racial South Africa.

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Nelson Mandela's autobiography describes his inauguration as South Africa's first Black president on May 10, 1994 after decades of apartheid rule. The ceremony was attended by leaders from over 140 countries. Mandela acknowledged the sacrifices of thousands of Black heroes who fought for freedom. He promised to build an inclusive society without oppression and revive communities long suffering under apartheid's poverty and discrimination. The autobiography provides context on Mandela's life struggles against apartheid and his vision for a democratic, non-racial South Africa.

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65 views4 pages

Nelson Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom: 9 Mile Stone, Bagalagunte, Bangalore-560 073

Uploaded by

teju.ganeshc
Nelson Mandela's autobiography describes his inauguration as South Africa's first Black president on May 10, 1994 after decades of apartheid rule. The ceremony was attended by leaders from over 140 countries. Mandela acknowledged the sacrifices of thousands of Black heroes who fought for freedom. He promised to build an inclusive society without oppression and revive communities long suffering under apartheid's poverty and discrimination. The autobiography provides context on Mandela's life struggles against apartheid and his vision for a democratic, non-racial South Africa.

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9th Mile Stone, Bagalagunte, Bangalore-560 073

Aff No: 830918


Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

About the Author

Nelson Mandela (born- 18 July 1918), became South Africa’s first Black President after
more than three centuries of White rule.
Mandela had spent a lifetime fight against ‘apartheid’. He had spent thirty years in prison
fighting for the democratic rights of the Black and Coloured people of South Africa.
Mr. Mandela’s African National Congress (ANC) party won 252 of the 400 seats in the first
democratic elections of South Africa’s history.

Story Narration

Introduction: In this extract from his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, Nelson
Mandela speaks about an important event, ‘the inauguration’ on 10th May 1994. The
inauguration ceremony took place in the Union Building’s amphitheatre in Pretoria today,
attended by politicians and dignitaries from more than 140 countries around the world.
This lesson includes description of the inauguration ceremony, citations from his speech, his
journey to being a freedom fighter, the struggle, along with a tribute to other freedom
fighters and countless other people who fought for their freedom.

In South Africa, a brutal practice named “apartheid” was followed. Apartheid refers to the
discrimination between people on the basis of their race. It was one of the most brutal
societies where dark-skinned people were deprived of their basic rights. This lesson gives us
an overview as to how Nelson Mandela along with others, carved their way to a society
where there will be no discrimination on the basis of their colour, caste, race, age or gender

About the Characters:


Nelson Mandela: Nelson Mandela was the tallest of all the black heroes who waged a
relentless fight against the racial-regime in South Africa. He suffered untold sufferings and
tortures in prison but led the country to install the first democratically elected government in
South Africa.

He is grateful in acknowledging the unimaginable sacrifices of thousands of black heroes for


the freedom of their people. He had a wider vision of humanity. For him, freedom was
comprehensive and couldn’t be divided.

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9th Mile Stone, Bagalagunte, Bangalore-560 073
Aff No: 830918
Lesson Explanation

This chapter deals with the black people’s victory from the inhume policy of apartheid and
the inauguration ceremony of Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first Black President. “A
Long Walk to Freedom” enlightens us about the freedom struggle of the black people against
the brutal policy of apartheid, a racial practised by the Whites, which discriminated against
the blacks in the social, economic, political, and educational field, depriving them of a
healthy environment and equal opportunities.

Mandela talks about the day he was sworn as the President of South Africa, which was
attended by dignitaries from around 140 countries in the world. He mentioned his daughter
Zenani on the podium, where Dr. Klerk took an oath for the second deputy president, and
Thabo Mbeki was sworn in as first deputy president. After them, Mandela took hold of the
constitution and was sworn in as the President of South Africa. Mandela promised that he
would never allow the oppression of one community by another, wherein he meant that even
the Blacks would never become the oppressors of the Whites and voce-versa. He promised a
humane society and pledged to revive his community out of poverty, deprivation, suffering,
gender, and other discrimination.

Mandela’s excellence in using words takes the readers to the whole new world of
experiencing things written while reading. After the oath ceremony, the army officers, who
were earlier into arresting him, were now paying him tributes and were promising him
loyalty to keep the values of democracy in South Africa intact through their spectacular
show of South African jets and troops over the Union Buildings. The National Anthem was
then sung by the people where the Whites sang ‘Nkosi Sikelel -iAfrika’ and the Blacks sang
‘Die Stem,’ the Republic’s old anthem.

There is a mention of the history of apartheid, which was practised by the Whites against the
Blacks in their own country. Apartheid, as Mandela mentioned, had a grieving and a very
negative impact on the Black people’s lives. Mandela mentions that this victory of being a
President of a society that has got rid of the policy of apartheid is a result of sacrifices of
many people, who laid their lives and sacrificed themselves for a society like this, and that
he owes everything to them. He was saddened that they were not present there to witness the
most precious moment of their lives. The Oliver Tambos, the Walter Sisulus, the Chief
Luthuli’s, the Yusuf Dads, the Bram Fischers, and the Robert Sobukwes are prominent
names mentioned by Mandels in the essay. These were the people because of which the
struggle became possible. Mandela mentions that these people were the real gems of the
country.

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9th Mile Stone, Bagalagunte, Bangalore-560 073
Aff No: 830918
Mandela has not even spoken about a dint of hate in his essay, even though being in power
over a country and community which oppressed him and destroyed the best years of his life.
Still, rather he promotes more love and speaks of humanity. HE speaks of a society that
would be full of love and compassion. In one of his lines, he mentions the importance of
hate, foe according to him, it is the hatred that leads to love.

‘People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love
comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.’

According to Mandela, what kept him going was the thought of compassion and kindness
that every man has, which might be hidden but never gets extinguished.

The essay’s most impressive part is the way he describes the obligation of the man. The first
is towards his family members, and the other is towards his country. He understood well that
the way he was free was never actually freedom. With the desire to free his community and
country from the traps of oppression and prejudice, he joined the African National Congress.
He realized that every moment he lived out of the thought that he was free was an illusion.
He fought against every oddity and realized one significant thing: the oppressed and the
oppressor needed freedom from inhumanity.

Mandela’s essay teaches us how even in the darkest of time, a man should never forget the
best virtues of humanity. Mandela promised a society that would never have the supremacy
of neither the Blacks nor the Whites, but a colourful society with values of humanity and
democracy.

Keywords

Dawned- (of a day) began


Besieged- to be surrounded by
Sandstone- sedimentary rock consisting of sand or quartz grains cemented together, typically
red, yellow, or brown in colour.
Amphitheatre- an open - air theatre
Supremacy- the state or condition of being superior to all others in authority, power, or status
Deputy- Second in command
Confer- grant
Emancipation- the fact or process of being set free from legal, social, or political restrictions
Bondage- the state of being a slave
Discrimination- being treated differently or unfavourably
Deprivation- the damaging lack of material benefits considered as the necessities in a society
Oppression- prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or exercise of authority.

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9th Mile Stone, Bagalagunte, Bangalore-560 073
Aff No: 830918
Troop- soldiers or armed forces
Precision- accuracy
Bedecked- decorate
Chevron- a pattern in the shape of a V
Despised- hated, had a very low opinion of
Overwhelmed- have a strong emotional effect
Erected- build; construct
Racial domination- when people of one race have power over another race
Patriots- a person who vigorously supports their country and is prepared to defend it against
enemies
Apartheid- a policy or system of segregation on grounds of race
Profound- very great or intense
Unintended- not planned or meant
Comrades- a colleague or a fellow member of an organisation
Resilience- the ability to deal with any kind of hardship and recover from its effects
Defies- refuse to obey
Grimmest- very serious or gloomy
Obligations- a duty or a commitment
Civil- courteous and polite
Inclination- natural tendencies of behaviour
Rebellion- the action or process of resisting authority, convention or control
Mealies- a maize plant
Illusion- a false idea or belief
Transitory- not permanent
Yearned- longing for something
Curtailed- reduce; impose a restriction on
Virtuous- having or showing high moral standards
Prejudice- a strong dislike without any good reason

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