Grade 10 - Nelson Mandela Long Walk To Freedom

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Welcome to Virtual Classroom
Grade: X
Subject: English (Lang. & Lit.)
Topic: Nelson Mandela Long Walk to Freedom
(Literature: First Flight)

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Lesson 2 – Nelson Mandela Long Walk to Freedom
About the Author
• Nelson Mandela , in full Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, byname Madiba, (born
July 18, 1918, Mvezo, South Africa—died December 5, 2013, Johannesburg),
black nationalist and the first black president of South Africa (1994–99). His
negotiations in the early 1990s with South African Pres. F.W. de Klerk helped
end the country’s apartheid system of racial segregation and ushered in a peaceful
transition to majority rule. Mandela and de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel
Prize for Peace in 1993 for their efforts.
• Mandela’s writings and speeches were collected in I Am Prepared to Die (1964;
rev. ed. 1986), No Easy Walk to Freedom (1965; updated ed. 2002), The Struggle
Nelson
Is My Life (1978; rev. ed. 1990), and In His Own Words (2003). The
autobiography Long Walk to Freedom, which chronicles his early life and years Mandela
in prison, was published in 1994. An unfinished draft of his second volume of
memoirs was completed by Mandla Langa and released posthumously as Dare
Not Linger: The Presidential Years (2017).

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Introduction
This chapter is an extract from the autobiography of Nelson Mandela (born-
18 July, 1918), the first Black President of South Africa. Excerpts from
“Long Walk to Freedom” include description of the inauguration ceremony,
citations from his speech, his journey to being a freedom fighter, the struggle,
along with a tribute to other freedom fighters and countless other people who
fought for their freedom. In South Africa, a brutal practice named
“apartheid” was followed. Apartheid refers to the discrimination between
people on the basis of their race. It was one of the most brutal societies where
dark-skinned people were deprived of their basic rights. This lesson gives us
an overview as to how Nelson Mandela along with others, carved their way
to a society where there will be no discrimination on the basis of their colour,
caste, race, age or gender.
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Summary
This chapter is an extract from the autobiography of Nelson Mandela (born- 18 July, 1918), the first
Black President of South Africa. It begins with the description of their inaugural ceremony which took
place on the 10th of May 1994 where the entire nation along with many international leaders
embraced the victory of a newly and fairly elected government. It involved speeches by the President
and the two Deputy Presidents followed by an impressive air show of fighter jets and helicopters. Long
ago, in the first decade of the twentieth century, white supremacy introduced the system of apartheid
and made life a living hell for the dark-skinned population. It gave rise to one of the most inhumane
societies of the world. Many people have struggled and sacrificed for basic human rights. The author
expressed his desire to thank all those freedom fighters who couldn’t live to see this autumn day. He
referred to the citizens as the greatest asset of the country. It is these people he gathered his courage
from. Mandela believes that courageous is not the man who is fearless, but the man who has overcome
fear. He also mentioned the two responsibilities every human has and how in order to fulfil his
obligation towards the society, his obligation towards his family was neglected. He became a man of
people when he realised that the idea of freedom was an illusion for him and people like him. It was
then he joined the African National Congress and fought for his rights till he became the first black
President of the nation. According to him, the oppressor is as much a prisoner as the oppressed. As
soon as the former robs the oppressed of their freedom he, himself gets robbed of his humanity. Thus,
the oppressor too, is not free.
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TENTH May dawned bright and clear. For the past few days I had been pleasantly besieged by
dignitaries and world leaders who were coming to pay their respects before the inauguration. The
inauguration would be the largest gathering ever of international leaders on South African soil. The
ceremonies took place in the lovely sandstone amphitheatre formed by the Union Buildings in
Pretoria. For decades this had been the seat of white supremacy, and now it was the site of a rainbow
gathering of different colours and nations for the installation of South Africa’s first democratic, non-
racial government.
On that lovely autumn day I was accompanied by my daughter Zenani. On the podium, Mr de Klerk
was first sworn in as second deputy president. Then Thabo Mbeki was sworn in as first deputy
president. When it was my turn, I pledged to obey and uphold the Constitution and to devote myself to
the wellbeing of the Republic and its people.
To the assembled guests and the watching world, I said: “Today, all of us do, by our presence here...
confer glory and hope to newborn liberty. Out of the experience of an extraordinary human disaster
that lasted too long, must be born a society of which all humanity will be proud. We, who were
outlaws, not so long ago, have today been given the rare privilege to be host to the nations of the world
on our own soil. We thank all of our distinguished international guests for having come to take
possession with the people of our country of what is, after all, a common victory for justice, for peace,
for human dignity.”
Textbook - Nelson Mandela Long Walk to Freedom
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Theme/ Central Idea
Freedom from racism is the central theme of the lesson Nelson Mandela: A long walk to Freedom. It is an
excerpt from the autobiography of Nelson Maldela who was the first black president of South Africa. At
those times, white skinned people were the rulers of the society and life was hell for the blacks. Many
people struggled for their rights, and Maldela calls citizens the basic asset of any country.
The lesson pays tribute to those black heroes and patriots who waged a relentless struggle against the
apartheid or the racist regime of South Africa. Here we find a description of the inauguration ceremony
held in the Union Buildings attended by politicians and dignitaries from more than 140 countries. Nelson
Mandela gives a message of peace and unity of mankind. He foresees anew regime which will be based on
the equality of men and women. He hopes that in the new regime there will be no exploitation of man by
man. There will be no room for racialism and segregation in the new order.
Message From the Story
The message that can be inferred from the Long Walk to Freedom is any person can reach heights
irrespective of their race. So people should not be discriminated against on any basis.
EXPLANATION: The 'Long Walk to Freedom' is one of the chapters from the autobiography of Nelson
Mandela. 'Nelson Mandela' was born on '18th July, 1918'. He was the first black person to become the
President of South Africa. The long Walk to Freedom describes Nelson Mandela’s opinion from his speech,
his freedom struggles and about countless people who had involved in the freedom struggle. And his part in
the apartheid struggle. Apartheid is a brutal practice that was followed in 'South Africa' which
discriminates black people and denies most of their rights.
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Lesson 2 – Nelson Mandela: A Long Walk to freedom
1. Where did the ceremonies take place? Can you name any public buildings in India that are made of
sandstone?
A. The ceremonies took place in an amphitheater which was formed by Union Buildings in Pretoria. In
India, we have many public buildings made of sandstone, some of which are Rashtrapati Bhavan, Red Fort
and the Supreme Court of India in New Delhi.
2. Can you say how 10 May is an ‘autumn day’ in South Africa?
A. Since South Africa lies in the Southern Hemisphere, we can say that May falls in the autumn season.
3. At the beginning of his speech, Mandela mentions “an extraordinary human disaster”. What does he
mean by this? What is the “glorious … human achievement” he speaks of at the end?
A. By “an extraordinary human disaster”, Mandela is referring to the apartheid system that was prevalent in
South Africa under the previous leadership. People of colour were treated unfairly and no human being
deserves that. He stood against the unjust practices and finally won the democratic elections to become the
first black President of South Africa. He refers to this win as “glorious human achievement”.
4. What does Mandela thank the international leaders for?
A. The author thanked the international leaders for joining and supporting them in their victory of freedom,
justice and human dignity. Earlier, many nations had cut ties with South Africa because of their practice of
apartheid.
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5. What ideals does he set out for the future of South Africa?
A. As the newly elected President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela wanted to liberate the country of all the unjust
practices. He set out ideals for a country which was free of poverty, discrimination and injustice.
6. What do the military generals do? How has their attitude changed, and why?
A. The military generals saluted Nelson Mandela and promised their support to the newly formed democratic
government of South Africa. Their attitude has changed because earlier they were under the ruke of the white
supremacy. During that rule, they would have arrested Mandela as he was considered to be a criminal. Now, with the
abolition of Apartheid and the formation of a democratic government, their attitude has also changed.
7. Why were two national anthems sung?
A. The two national anthems, one of the Blacks and other of the Whites were sung symbolising equality and respect for
the entire community irrespective of their colour.
8. How does Mandela describe the systems of government in his country
(i) In the first decade, and
(ii) In the final decade, of the twentieth century?
A. (i) In the first decade of the twentieth century, white supremacy created a system of racial domination and made life
a living hell for the dark-skinned people. Mandela referred it as one of the “harshest, inhumane societies” of the world.
(ii) In the final decade of the twentieth century, the system of apartheid has been changed into one that recognises all
humans as equal regardless of their colour, race or gender.
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9. What does courage mean to Mandela?
A. To Mandela, “courage” does not mean the absence of fear, but the victory over it. A man who is
courageous is the one who has overcome his fear to fight all the odds.
10. Which does he think is natural, to love or to hate?
A. He believes love comes more naturally to humans as opposed to hate. No one is born with hatred in his
heart for another.
11. What “twin obligations” does Mandela mention?
A. According to Mandela, every person has “twin obligations”, one towards his family and the other,
towards his society.
12. What did being free mean to Mandela as a boy, and as a student? How does he contrast these “transitory
freedoms” with “the basic and honourable freedoms”?
A. As a young boy, and a student, Mandela’s idea of freedom was to be able to stay out at night, read
whatever he desired and go wherever he chose. On growing up as a man, he realised that these were
“transitory freedoms” he was looking for because their “basic and honourable freedoms” had been taken
away. There was no liberty to have a peaceful marriage, family and life. Dark-skinned people were deprived
of their fundamental human rights. For them, freedom was an “illusion”.

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13. What does Mandela mean when he says he is “simply the sum of all those African patriots” who had gone before him?
A. Mandela wanted to thank the generations before him who had fought for justice. He gathered his courage from these brave heroes
and it is because of that, he fought fearlessly for what is right. Thus, he referred to himself as “simply the sum of all those African
patriots” that had gone before him.
14. Would you agree that the “depths of oppression” create “heights of character”? How does Mandela illustrate this? Can you add your
own examples to this argument?
A. Yes, I agree that “depths of oppression” create “heights of character”. Mandela illustrated this idea by the example of all those who
had emerged as great freedom fighters after years of oppression and brutality. Though unintended, effect of all this was men with
extraordinary courage and strength. One of the greatest examples is of our own country, where our people were exploited under British
rule for about 200 years. As a result of oppression of such magnitude, India got freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh and Pt. Jawaharlal
Nehru.
15. How did Mandela’s understanding of freedom change with age and experience?
A. As a young boy, and a student, Mandela’s idea of freedom was to be able to stay out at night, read whatever he desired and go
wherever he chose. On growing up as a man, he realised that these were “transitory freedoms” he was looking for because their “basic
and honourable freedoms” had been taken away. There was no liberty to have a peaceful marriage, family and life. Dark-skinned
people were deprived of their fundamental human rights. For them, freedom was an “illusion”.
16. How did Mandela’s ‘hunger for freedom’ change his life?
A. Once Mandela realized his hunger for freedom, his life changed forever. It transformed him from a family-man to a man of his
people and a frightened young man into a bold one. He built his entire life around fighting for the basic fundamental rights for his
community. He was more selfless and virtuous than ever.

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Thank you……!!!
Wish You a Wonderful Day Ahead……….!!!

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Topic: Nelson Mandela Long Walk to Freedom

(Literature: First Flight)

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