SEARCH:

Biography

Nelson Mandela: Journey to Freedom

Born into African royalty, he became an international hero for his sacrifices in the fight against apartheid. After decades in jail, he emerged as the leader of his reborn nation. This program tells the remarkable story of Nelson Mandela's life, from his idyllic childhood through his years of imprisonment to his triumphant election as president of South Africa. Interviews with colleagues and friends, including fellow ANC prisoners and former Archbishop Desmond Tutu, shed light on the darkest years of Mandela's lifelong struggle. Incredible footage of his greatest moments shows the personal victories that made him a hero around the world.

Nelson Mandela: Journey To Freedom would be useful for classes on World History, African History, Ethics and Geography. It is appropriate formiddle school and high school.

Vocabulary

• acute
• adversarial
• articulate
• bastion
• daunting
• delusion
• demeanor
• fortify
• gamut
• grandeur
• idyllic
• legitimize
• odious
• pariah
• pragmatic
• profound
• recrimination
• rescind
• sabotage
• tactician

Discussion Questions

1. Nelson Mandela spent his early childhood years in a completely African culture. How did his childhood make him different from other Africans who grew up amongst the white population in South Africa?
2. As a young boy, Nelson Mandela both feared, and was in awe of, white South Africans. Why?
3. When Mandela went to school, the teacher changed his first name from his given name to Nelson, the name the world now knows him by. Why did the teacher change his name? What does that say about the way South Africa regarded traditional African culture?
4. Mandela fled to Johannesburg as a young man to avoid an arranged marriage. How did his arrival and stay in Johannesburg educate Mandela about the realities of life in South Africa?
5. What is racism? Why does it exist?
6. What is meant by the term apartheid? How did this system of apartheid shape life in South Africa? How did it affect Mandela?
7. The ANC employed the tactics of resistance politics. What are resistance politics? How have resistance politics been used in the United States?
8. Mandela went to prison when he was in his forties. He would not be released for over twenty-eight years. What gave Mandela the strength to survive almost three decades in one of the world's harshest prisons?
9. How did the system of apartheid extend to behind the prison walls?
10. How did Mandela's dignity and self-respect earn him the respect of the prison guards?
11. How did Mandela become a symbol of freedom for the Blacks of South Africa?
12. What is the legacy of Nelson Mandela?

Extended Activities

1. Imagine that you, like Nelson Mandela, have spent many years in prison. Write a letter to someone you love expressing your dreams and desires, and what you would want to do when you gained your freedom.
2. Create a poster celebrating and honoring Nelson Mandela. How can your poster convey the impact of Mandela on the people and history of South Africa and the world?
3. Write an essay in which you compare Nelson Mandela with some other great leaders in history. What makes these leaders great? What do they have in common? How do they differ?