1. THE LIFE OF NELSON MANDELA By Niamh Gaughan and Ella Gaughan

2. CHILDHOOD Nelson Rolihlaha Mandela was born on 18 July 1918 at Mvezo in the Transkei. His father was chief of the Thembu tribe and knew a retired teacher. In 1930 when Mandela was 9 his father died. The new chief of the Thembu tribe,Jongintaba Dalindyebo, decided to adopt Nelson when he was 12.

3. SCHOOLS  In the shack that was a school for black children, the teacher gave him the name Nelson.  In 1934 he attends Clarkbury Boarding Institute in Engcobo.  Attends Healdtown, the Wesleyan College at Fort Beaufort in 1937.  In 1939 he enrols at the University College of Fort Hare in Alice and gets expelled in 1940.

4. APARTHEID Aparheid was the unfair laws against the native South Africans who were black. White people always had better things than black people. White people had better buses,houses put in anything you like,they were bound to have better ones than black people. A black person and a white person could not marry, or even hold hands.

5. THE ANC  In 1942 Mandela, he joined a political party called the African National Congress (the ANC). Mandela and his friends in the ANC, together with millions of black and white South Africans, did not agree with the apartheid policy of the white rulers of South Africa.

6. THE SPEAR OF THE NATION  Mandela and some others set up a secret organisation called the Spear of the Nation.  They would all try protesting peacefully and if that didn’t work they would have been forced to use force.  So Mandela learnt boxing.

7. TRAPPED!!!  Suddenly Mandela got arrested and thrown into prison. The government accused him of sabotage and plotting to overthrow the government.

8. JAILS  The prison Mandela was in for most of the time was called Robben Island.  Robben Island sits about 6 miles off the coast in the middle of shark – infested waters.  Mandela spent 18 years on Robben Island and the other 9 years on another island called Spike Island.  His prisoner number on Robben Island was 46664.

9. PROTESTING  Millons of people all over the world protested for the release of Mandela.

10. RELEASED!!!!  Mandela was released from prison in 1990.

11. PRESIDENT OF SOUTH AFRICA  In the first election that black people were allowed to vote, Mandela was elected the first black president of south africa.

12. FAMILY  Mandela had 3 wives – Evelyn Ntoko Mace (married from 1944 – 1957) gave Mandela 4 children.  Winnie Madikizela – Mandela (married 1958 – 1996) gave him 2 children.  Graca Machel was married to Mandela since 1998.  Mandela’s 6 children are called : Makaziwe (daughter), Makaziwe (named after Mandela’s eldest daughter who died at 9 months), Zindziswa (daughter), Madiba Thembekile (son), Makgotho (son), Zenani (daughter).  He had 17 grandchildren.

13. AWARDS  Mandela received over 1,000 awards, inclueding the Nobel Peace Prize and the U.S Congressional Medal.

14. QUESTIONS FOR NELSON MANDELA  Did you have many brothers or sisters?  Would you prefer if white people never came to South Africa?  Did you miss your family and friends a lot when you were in prison?  Did you want to go to school when you were 7?