He was born in 1918 in the Thembu tribe as the son of a tribal chief. An elementary school teacher gave Mandela the name Nelson. Being an artifact of the British colony in Africa, offering a Christian name to the children starting education become a tradition. Mandela, also known as Madiba, in South Africa is also mentioned by name. Madiba is the tribal name of which Mandela was a member, and in that land, the tribal name is even more important than his last name. Changing these names by ignoring them by Colonial Countries is ample evidence of the de-identity movement in Africa. Mandela has opposed racism all his life and acted all his life to end racism.

 

He studied law at the University of Fort Hare and was forced to get suspended due to student actions he organized against the racist apartheid government. Then, he started studying law at the University of the Witwatersrand. Mandela became the first black lawyer in South African history after graduating from the University of Witwatersrand in 1942. In August 1952, he and Oliver Tambo opened Mandela & Tambo Law Firm, South Africa's first black law firm.

 

In 1944, a Youth Union affiliated with the African National Congress political party was established, and he became a member of this union. Therefore, he served as president of the youth branches and in 1950 as president of the party. After the Apartheid regime began to be implemented as law in 1948, the ANC administration drafted an action plan on the proposal of the Youth League in 1949. This action plan implied that the African people could get rid of the racist practices of Colonial States through their struggles. While the ANC adopted an ideology based on African nationalism, they implemented an effective action plan as a method against the repressive regime. This plan included strikes, boycotts, and, where necessary, armed struggle.

 

In 1960, the National Party government shut down the ANC party fighting against the apartheid regime due to their anti-racial discrimination ideology and tried to silence those who opposed it at gunpoint. Mandela founded another organization to counter this pressure and then received a 5-year prison sentence for criminal charges such as setting up a criminal organization, planning a strike and going abroad without a passport.

 

After Mandela was imprisoned, he went through a trial process called the Rivonia case. The charges against Their actions included claims such as the production of illegal explosives, preparing the ground for their country’s invasion by receiving financial support from foreign countries, and trying for these claims. As a result of this process, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1964 and spent 25 years in prison. In this case, which had significant repercussions in the world public game, including the United Nations, Nelson Mandela and the ANC founders were tried unlawfully.

 

Nelson Mandela was absolved in 1989 after the end of the Apartheid regime by Frederik Willem de Klerk, the last white president in South Africa's history. Bans against ANC-style communities have also come to an end. In 1994, Nelson Mandela became the first democratically elected president of South Africa and became the first black leader. Throughout his administration, he focused on land reform, human rights, and the fight against poverty. In 1999, he gave the mandate to his presidency, Thabo Mbeki, to better prepare South Africa for modern world necessities.

 

With the foundation he founded under his name, he worked to break the perception of shame about AIDS in society and prevent the AIDS epidemic. After his son contracted the disease and died, he dedicated himself to solving the problem as a personal matter and managed to raise millions of dollars. In 1993, he was awarded more than 250 awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize, the United States Presidential Medal of freedom, and the Soviet Order of Lenin. The Republic of Turkey awarded him the Atatürk International Peace Prize in 1992. The award is a state award from 1986-2000 to those who have contributed decisively to World Peace. Based on Atatürk's principle of "Peace At Home, Peace In The World," the award was given to people who contribute to peace, understanding, and goodwill. Nelson Mandela did not accept the award, citing oppression and human rights violations in Turkey, especially against the Kurdish people. In 1999, he changed his mind and received the award.

 

The great human rights defender, Madiba–Nelson Mandela, died on December 5, 2013, aged 95, suffering from tuberculosis. We will remember his determination and revolutionism where we face injustice and discrimination.