NELSON MANDELA:

ICON OF LEADERSHIP, PERSEVERANCE AND HOPE

Kerly Romn Apolo

kmroman@espol.edu.ec
Class 970
Escuela Superior Politcnica del Litoral
Guayaquil Ecuador

In our society history, there have been great men who excelled in the struggle for their
ideals as well as for their courage in facing adversities that were directed to the common good
for the peace that, thanks to them, we currently enjoy. Many of these characters have something
in common: the pursuit of putting a stop against racial discrimination and rejection; men like
Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela became idols because they left a
deep impression on the supporters who until now are following suit.

I chose Rowena Akinyemis biography of Nelson Mandela because Ive always admired this
inspirational character. Nelson Rolihlala Mandela, also known as Madiba, was born on July 18,
1918 in a small village just south of Qunu, in the Transkei province of South Africa. He was a
leader who, tired of the oppression of whites to South African citizens, fought tirelessly for the
freedom of his country, for a democratic and equitable society for all people of South Africa.
Though that meant leaving his family, hiding, fleeing secretly and spending 27 years of his life in
prison; Mandela never lost hope of seeing before his eyes a nation that reunites blacks and
whites, two races living in peace and forming a multiracial, tolerable and fair state to each of the
persons.

All of the values learned throughout his life, led him to fulfill his dream. His sense of justice,
hope, perseverance and struggle for the common good were the pillars that formed his
unwavering personality and made him one of the greatest figures in world history. His name is
and will always be synonymous with perseverance, and his legacy will live for eternity because
while there is a person that remembers him and his ideals, Nelson Mandela will exist as a symbol
of freedom.

For all the above and for the set of characteristics and values that this great human being
represented and still represents; I think certainly, Nelson "Madiba" Mandela deserves the respect
and admiration of the whole world because he demonstrated that with courage, conviction and an
insatiable quest to fulfill our ideals, we can achieve the most extraordinary changes.