NELSON MANDELA’S BIOGRAPHY

1. MANDELA: A LIFE IN PICTURES

Here you have different milestones of Mandela’s life. Look at the pictures and read the
texts. Could you write them in chronological order?

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 2. COMPLETE HIS BIOGRAPHY
Now read this text and fill the blanks with the correct verbs from
the box.

won – served – spent – was published – was – became – banned –

released – used – was elected

Nelson Mandela (1) ………………………….… many years as a political prisoner in South Africa before becoming the
country's first black president. He was also called ‘Madiba,’ a nickname taken from his clan. He said in his
autobiography Long Walk to Freedom that he was given the English name “Nelson” by his teacher on his first day at
school.

Mandela (2) ………………………….… a leading member of the African National Congress (ANC), which opposed South
Africa's white minority government and its policy of racial separation, known as Apartheid. The government (3)
………………………….… the ANC in 1960. Mandela was captured and jailed in 1962, and in 1964 he was convicted of
treason and sentenced to life in prison. He (4) ………………………….… the sentence as prisoner 46664 on Robben
Island, near Cape Town, but instead of disappearing from view, Mandela (5) ………………………….… a prison martyr
and worldwide symbol of resistance to racism.

South African President Mr F.W. De Klerk finally lifted the ban on the ANC and (6) ………………………….… Mandela in
1990. Mandela (7) ………………………….… his position to help dismantle apartheid and form a new multi-racial
democracy. He and De Klerk (8) ………………………….… the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.

Mandela (9) ………………………….… the country's president in 1994. He served until 1999, when he was succeeded by
his deputy Thabo Mbeki. Mandela's autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, (10) ………………………….… in 1994.
THE HISTORY OF APARTHEID IN SOUTH AFRICA
Adapted from: http://www.factmonster.com/biography/var/nelsonmandela.html

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THE HISTORY OF APARTHEID IN SOUTH AFRICA
Read this text that briefly explains the history of Apartheid. Then match the beginnings
and endings of the sentences on the next page to describe that unfair political regime.

South Africa was colonized by the English and Dutch in the seventeenth century. The Dutch descendants
(known as Boers or Afrikaners) established the colonies of Orange Free State and Transvaal. The
discovery of diamonds in these lands around 1900 resulted in an English invasion and the Boer War.
Following independence from England, there was an agreement between the two groups until the
1940's, when the Afrikaner National Party gained a substantial majority. Strategists in the National Party
invented Apartheid as a means to cement their control over the economic and social system. The aim of
the apartheid was to maintain white domination and racial separation.
In 1948, Apartheid laws institutionalized racial discrimination. Race laws touched every aspect of social
life, including a prohibition of marriage between non-whites and whites, and the creation of “white-
only” jobs. In 1950, all South Africans were racially classified into one of three categories: white, black
(African), or coloured (of mixed decent). The coloured group included Indians and Asians.
Classification into these categories was based on appearance, social acceptance, and descent. A person
could not be considered white if one of his or her parents were non-white. A black person was a
member of an African tribe or race, and a coloured person was one that was not black or white. All
blacks had to carry “pass books” containing fingerprints, photo and information on access to non-black
areas.
In 1951, the government established the “homelands”. They were independent states to which each
African was assigned according to the record of origin (which was frequently inaccurate). All political
rights, including voting, held by an African were restricted to the designated homeland. They became
citizens of the homeland and lost their citizenship in South Africa. Africans who lived in the homelands
needed passports to enter South Africa. They were aliens in their own country.
In 1953, the government increased penalties for protesting against a law. The penalties included fines,
imprisonment and whippings. In 1960, a large group of blacks in Sharpeville refused to carry their
passes; the government declared a state of emergency. It lasted for 156 days, leaving 69 people dead
and 187 people wounded. The penalties imposed on political protest, even non-violent protest, were
severe. During the states of emergency, anyone could be detained by a police official for up to six
months. Thousands of individuals died in custody, frequently after acts of torture. Many of them were
sentenced to death, banished, or imprisoned for life, like Nelson Mandela.
The apartheid policy was highly effective in achieving its goal of preferential treatment for whites, as is
demonstrated by the statistics in Figure 1.
Adapted from http://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~cale/cs201/apartheid.hist.html 7
1- Apartheid was a system …
2- It was introduced in …
3- During Apartheid, people were treated
differently …
4- White people were privileged, while …
5- Black and white children …
6- Under Apartheid, black people were told …
7- Black families were forced to live in
independent states …
8- Black people could only enter white areas …
9- In 1953, the government increased penalties
for protesting against a law……
10- When a large group of blacks refused to carry
their pass books …
11- Children in the homelands …
a. ... South Africa in 1948
b. ... were not allowed to play together.
c. ... to work and had to carry and identity document
called Passbook.
d. ... lived in constant fear of violence
e. ... the government declared a state of emergency.
f. ... that included fines, imprisonment and whippings
g. … black people were impoverished.
h. ... where to live and only allowed to take badly-paid
jobs.
i. ... that classified people into one of three categories:
white, black and coloured
j. ... with few medical facilities and overcrowded
schools.
k. ... depending on the colour of their skin.
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REDACTED LETTERS

The 27 years in the prison of Robben Island were tough

for Nelson Mandela. The conditions were very hard,
and he could only send two letters every year. He
couldn’t receive many letters too, and they were
redacted letters, which means that some sentences are
taken out to hide information to the reader.

Here you have a redacted letter, and the missing

sentences are below. Read the text carefully and
choose which sentence goes in the correct space.

I want to fight for you while

love studying

think of you every day ,

to fight

I need my husband

Your people love their leader.

Our neighbours are asking me

more and more violent

but we are trying to be strong .

want their father at home

she doesn’t ask any questions

and she’s very sick