Title:
Long Walk to Freedom
Genre
& author: Autobiography,
Nelson Rolihlahla
Mandela (born-18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013)
Pages:
768 The book’s influence on me
“My country is rich in minerals and gems that lie beneath its soil, but I have always known that its greatest wealth is its people, finer and truer than the purest diamonds,” wrote Mandela towards the end of his Autobiography. He was true for he has dedicated his entire life for the wellbeing of is people, the people of South Africa. He has shed light upon the lives of his people, made them free. He has contributed and shown to the world how a people’s leader was to be. As Mahatma Gandhi is to people of India so is Mandela to the people of South Africa, and both of them are among the gems of people the world has had.
Reading his autobiography which in fact was a long journey did not tire me, it has enriched me. I have every reason to be happy about my decision days before picking this thick book from the college library. It inspired me; I was inspired, in fact by the characters, good and bad, in this book led by Mr. Mandela.Mr. Mandela was born to a privileged, to a Royal lineage of Thimbu kings in a part of South Africa. He grew up humbly though; as he grew he saw more and more realities of hard life his people were facing under the domination of whites. The blacks then could not relish the wealth their soil has produced; they were silenced completely by the rule. The apartheid system imposed by white minority was so rude, so pathetic that it completely lacked the respect to humanity. Blacks were humiliated, tortured and their freedom completely robed.
As he saw the grim realities of his peoples’ lives in South Africa, an innate force unfailing has moved him to devout his entire life to acquiring the freedom, the true goal of every human being. When he was just equipped to be a good lawyer he joined an organization called ANC, African National Congress. ANC was the oldest of political organizations in South Africa founded in 1912. His journey in politics was not easy. Frustrated by ineffective talks that yielded no rational result, somewhere he went underground to found Umkonto We Sizke, a violent step intended to counter the government’s injustice. He travelled across many countries seeking help and support for their cause.
Just as he was working out his plan the situation countrywide was getting more and more chaotic. Later on the state charged him with treason and was given life imprisonment. In prisons like in Robin Island he and many other freedom fighters were horribly treated. Mr. Mandela was never afraid for he has already committed to his lifelong goal of securing freedom for South Africa.Finally the long waited freedom embraced people of South Africa when Mandela was freed, when they could for the first time in their life go to polls to cast votes on their own will. Their freedom came at a great, great cost. This was a course sometimes in 1994 when Mandela was elected the President of South Africa in a truly democratic maneuver. Mr. Nelson was the first black leader to take the office of President after successfully ending the notorious apartheid system.
He has repeatedly mentioned in his autobiography about his feeling of gratefulness towards many of his colleagues who have all kindled that fire to be a great leader not only to South Africa but to the world.The one regret he had in his life was the regret for not being able to be a father, a husband, a brother, a son to the people he most cared about. Yet it was not in his hand when the call of his fate was in service to the entire people of South Africa thereby becoming the father of the nation. He said that to be the father of nation was a great honor but to be the father of family was greater joy.
What I admired most of him is his undefeatable courage, unflinching honesty and truly the selfless leadership in him. His life’s message is but an amalgam of love, faith, trust, courage and determination, forgiveness, selflessness and a spirit of true leadership.
I know my review about his autobiography cannot be up to mark, but deep down in my heart, there will be a golden board forever to message of Sir Nelson’s life. I salute to Sir Mandela and the other freedom fighters.
Thank you sir, you inspire me a lot!
