You’ve certainly heard about Nelson Mandela on the TV news.He has died, aged 95. (Dec, 5th 2013)
Read more on BBC news , FirstNews, Time for Kids,(easy), the Guardian (niv 3ème)
Video: Channel One News’ Daily Show.
Nelson Mandela in pictures (http://www.telegraph.co.uk)
Quiz about Madiba. (BBC)
He was called Madiba by South Africans. He was President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999 and the first black president in the first democratic election of the country. He fought against apartheid (segregation, separation and discrimination against black people) and was sent to prison for 27 years! (from 1963 to 1990)
Today, he is one of the most respected people in the world.
- Mandela Day: (http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com)
The United Nations General Assembly has created a special day to celebrate Nelson Mandela. July 18th, Mandela’s birthday, is now officially Nelson Mandela International Day. The UN said it decided to create this occasion to say thank you to a “great man”. The day celebrates Mandela’s “promotion of a culture of peace throughout the world”. It also recognises Mandela’s contributions towards improving race relations and human rights. The president of the U.N. General Assembly Ali Treki stated the day highlighted how Mandela suffered to create a better world. Mr Treki said Nelson Mandela played a « leading role in and support for Africa’s struggle for liberation…and [made an] outstanding contribution to the creation of a non-racial, non-sexist democratic South Africa.”
Nelson Mandela led the fight against apartheid in South Africa for several decades. He spent 26 years in prison for his efforts. The international community campaigned for many years to get him released. Finally, he was freed in 1990. He worked tirelessly to help South Africa move toward reconciliation and a multi-racial democracy. In 1994, he became his country’s first black president and served for five years before stepping down in 1999. He has won many awards in his life, but perhaps his greatest is the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. Since his retirement from South African politics, he has remained active on the world stage. One of his biggest commitments is in the fight against AIDS. He is today one of the world’s most respected statesmen.
