“There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires.”

South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician, and philanthropist

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician, and philanthropist. He served as president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, becoming the country’s first black head of state and the first chosen in a fully representative democratic election. His presidency focused on dismantling apartheid’s legacy, confronting institutionalised racism, and encouraging racial reconciliation. He was also an African nationalist and socialist, and served as president of the African National Congress from 1991 to 1997. In South Africa, he is widely respected and is often called Madiba, his Xhosa clan name, as well as the Father of the Nation.