Nelson Mandela Dies at 95

 Mandiba - Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela 

18 July 1918 - 5 December 2013

 I dream of an Africa which is in peace with itself. - Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela, who became one of the world's most beloved statesmen and an icon of the 20th century when he emerged on a political stage after having spent twenty seven years in prison on Robben Island to negotiate an end to white minority rule in South Africa, has died in Johannesburg on December 5, 2013 after prolonged illness. He was 95.

His death closed the final chapter in South Africa's struggle to cast off apartheid, leaving the world with indelible memories of a man of astonishing grace and good humor. Rock concerts celebrated his birthday. Hollywood stars glorified him on screen. And his regal bearing, graying hair and raspy voice made him instantly recognizable across the globe.

As South Africa's first black president, the ex-boxer, lawyer and prisoner No. 46664, he paved the way to racial reconciliation with well-chosen gestures of forgiveness. He lunched with the prosecutor who sent him to jail, sang the apartheid-era Afrikaans anthem at his inauguration, and traveled hundreds of miles to have tea with the widow of Hendrik Verwoerd, the prime minister at the time he was imprisoned.

In 1993 Nelson Mandela received the Nobel Peace Prize which he shared together with the South African president Frederik Willem de Klerk. Both men received the prize for their work for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime, and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa. 

Currently cinemas in South Africa are showing a movie based on Mandela's memoirs "Long Walk to Freedom."

To read more about Nelson Mandela please click here and here