Nelson Mandela: 27 years in prison and the choice of reconciliation

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born on 18 July 1918 in the village of Mvezo, in South Africa. He became a lawyer and one of the leaders of the African National Congress, which fought against apartheid, the legal system of racial segregation that denied the black majority political rights.

The trial and prison

Mandela was arrested in 1962. At the Rivonia trial, in 1964, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. In his statement to the court he said that he had fought against white domination and against black domination, and that his ideal was a democratic society in which all live together in harmony and with equal opportunities.

He spent 18 years on Robben Island, where prisoners worked in a lime quarry and slept in small cells. He was then transferred to other prisons. In all, he spent 27 years in prison.

The guards' language

In prison Mandela studied and learned Afrikaans, the language of most of the guards and of the white government. Some of his comrades did not understand why. He believed that to persuade an opponent you must understand him, and that speaking to someone in his own language goes to his heart. Over time he built relationships of respect even with some of the guards.

"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it." (Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom)

Release and reconciliation

On 11 February 1990 Mandela was released. In the years that followed he negotiated the end of apartheid with the government of President Frederik Willem de Klerk. In 1993 the two shared the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1994, in the first elections in which all citizens voted, Mandela was elected president and served a single term, until 1999.

Instead of revenge he sought reconciliation. He invited one of his former guards to his inauguration and supported the creation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In 1995, when South Africa won the Rugby World Cup, he walked on to the field wearing the team's jersey, which for many black South Africans was a symbol of apartheid. It was a deliberate gesture towards unity.

Lessons

1. Strategic patience. Mandela did not lose sight of his goal over decades, even when there was no sign of victory.
2. Understand those you disagree with. The guards' language was a bridge.
3. Forgiveness is not weakness. He saw it as a way of not remaining a prisoner of anger.
4. Know when to step aside. After one term, he made way for others.