Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela was the first black president of South Africa to be elected in a fully-representative democratic election. Before his presidency, he was a prominent anti-apartheid activist and leader of the African National Congress... [more]

Nelson Mandela was the first black president of South Africa to be elected in a fully-representative democratic election. Before his presidency, he was a prominent anti-apartheid activist and leader of the African National Congress. After resorting to using guerilla factions to get his message across, the leader was deemed a terrorist and imprisoned for 27 years on Robben Island. He was released in 1990, and since then has been recognized as an international symbol of freedom, receiving hundreds of awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize