Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Thinking about the Text:
1. Why did such a large number of international leaders attend the inauguration? What
did it signify the triumph of?
The presence of a large number of international leaders was a gesture of solidarity from the
international community to the idea of the end of apartheid. It signified the triumph of good over
evil, the triumph of the idea of a tolerant society without any discrimination.
2. What does Mandela mean when he says he is “simply the sum of all those African
patriots” who had gone before him?
Mandela wants to pay his tribute to all the people who had sacrificed their lives for the sake of
freedom. He feels that he is the sum of all those African patriots who had gone before him
because those heroes of yester years had paved the path of cooperation and unity for him.
Therefore, he got the support of his people to be able to come to power to bring equality for his
own people.
3. Would you agree that the ‘depths of oppression’ create ‘heights of character’? How
does Mandela illustrate this? Can you add your own examples to this argument?
Yes, I agree that the ‘depths of oppression’ create ‘heights of character’. Nelson Mandela
illustrates this by giving examples of great heroes of South Africa who sacrificed their lives in the
long freedom struggle, and who had extraordinary courage, wisdom and generosity. India is full
of such examples. During our freedom struggle there was a galaxy of leaders of great character.
The oppression of British rule created so many men of immense courage and strength.
4. How did Mandela’s understanding of freedom change with age and experience?
With age Nelson Mandela realized that he had a lot of responsibilities of his people, his
community and his country. As a boy, Mandela did not have a hunger for freedom because he
thought that he was born free. He believed that as long as he obeyed his father and abided by
the customs of his tribe, he was free in every possible manner. He had certain needs as a
teenager and certain needs as a young man. Gradually, he realized that he was selfish during
his boyhood. He slowly understands that it is not just his freedom that is being curtailed, but the
freedom of all blacks. It is after attaining this understanding that he develops a hunger for the
freedom of his people.
5. How did Mandela’s ‘hunger for freedom’ change his life?
Mandela realized in his youth that it was not just his freedom that was being curtailed, but the
freedom of all blacks. The hunger for his own freedom became the hunger for the freedom of his
people. This desire of a non-racial society transformed him into a virtuous and self-sacrificing
man. Thus, he joined the African National Congress and this changed him from a frightened
young man into a bold man.
