Nelson Mandela South African President and Civil Rights Activist

Nelson Mandela South African President and Civil Rights Activist — page 5
A Diverse Country The history of South Africa includes the influences of many peoples Several ethnic groups lived in the area long before Europeans arrived People from other parts of Africa also settled there Modern South Africa is a diverse nation There are 11 official languages and many others are spoken informally 6 They elected Mandela Crowds of people gathered to celebrate the historic occasion Mandela sought to heal the wounds caused by discrimination For years inequality was everywhere in South Africa A system called apartheid made it law Mandela himself was just barely out of prison He had spent 27 years there for opposing racist policies But on the inauguration day the focus was on reconciliation People looked to their remarkable new president Mandela’s journey to that stage had been long and difficult Early Years Nelson Mandela was born Rolihlahla Mandela on July 18 1918 in the Eastern Cape region of South Africa He was born into the Thembu tribe The Thembu are one of the