I Am Prepared to Die

After spending 27 years in prison for his opposition to apartheid, Nelson Mandela became the first democratically elected president of South Africa. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for his work in ending apartheid, and he is known world-wide for his philosophy of peace.

Mandela was born in 1918, in the Eastern Cape province. He proudly mentions a bit of autobiography in his speech, explaining that he was inspired by his elders’ stories of his ancestors’ wars. He, too, wanted to play his part in the African freedom struggle, although it would look different than that of his ancestors, as he would have to leave the village and a likely chieftaincy to fight oppression on a larger scale.

Mandela also clarifies, at the start of the speech, that he holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and has practiced as an attorney. This accomplishment is especially remarkable given that higher education and skilled professions were largely inaccessible to Black South Africans during Mandela’s early life. He joined the ANC in 1943 and helped to create its Youth League not long thereafter. After the 1960