Nelson Mandela - Celebrating his life (Pictures)

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Jubilant: Nelson Mandela and wife Winnie raising fists upon his release from Victor Verster prison after 27

Difficult: Mandela's daughter Maki said he remained aloof towards his children even after leaving prison

Love at last: Mandela married Graca Machel, pictured together in 2002, on his 80th birthday in 1998

 

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Two giants: The planned funeral is being compared to the 2005 service for Pope John Paul II, pictured here with Mandela in 1995, which was attended by 2million people

Star-studded event: The memorial service is expected to draw many celebrities who had a personal relationship with Mandela, including Oprah Winfrey pictured here in 2002

 

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Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who met with then-94-year-old Mandela last August, will also journey to South Africa

[h=1]State funeral planned for civil rights icon Nelson Mandela that will be attended by every living U.S. president, royalty and a long list of celebrities[/h]

• South African President Jacob Zuma ordered nation's flags to be flown at half-mast beginning Friday
• White House announced President Obama will travel to South Africa and the first family is likely to join him
• Public memorial service will be held at Johannesburg soccer stadium
  
• Mandela will lie in state in glass-topped coffin in Pretoria near the place where he was sworn in as president in 1994
  
• Mr Mandela will be laid to rest in his hometown of Qunu

Read more: Nelson Mandela: State funeral planned for civil rights icon Nelson Mandela that will be attended by every living U.S. president, royalty and a long list of celebrities | Mail Online
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

 

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Symbol: Nelson Mandela, pictured at his South African home in 2010, 'triumphed as a symbol of national reconciliation between South Africa's races'

Party time: Nelson Mandela celebrates his 94th birthday in July last year surrounded by his family

Dignified: The former South African president is pictured with his wife Graca Macel at their house in Qunu, on the Eastern Cape, during his birthday celebrations

Nelson Mandela, former South African President, is pictured during a visit by former U.S. president Bill Clinton on July 17, 2012 at his home in Qunu, Eastern Cape, on the eve of his 94th birthday

 

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Dark rain clouds cover the Nelson Mandela Statue in Howick, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, in August 2012. The statue is at the site that Nelson Mandela was arrested in 1962

Smiling: Mr Mandela made a rare public appearance alongside his wife Graca Machel at Johannesburg's Soccer City stadium during the closing ceremony for the 2010 World Cup

Fundraiser: Nelson Mandela and singer Bono embrace at the '46664' Concert at Green Point Stadium in Cape Town in 2003

Still got it: Former South African President Nelson Mandela lands a 'straight left' to the chin of former World Champion Muhammad Ali at the Global Youth Summit in Dublin, Ireland, in 2003

Sharing some tips: Nelson Mandela shares some boxing tactics with world heavyweight boxer Lennox Lewis in a mock fight at Mandela's residence in 2001

 

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Campaign trail: The then-president of the ANC is 1993 tells his followers to use peace not violence to settle their disputes

Groundbreaking agreement: In 1993 Mandela and president F. W. de Klerk approved a democracy constitution to give blacks the vote and end white minority rule

 

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Behind bars: Nelson Mandela with Walter Sisulu on Robben Island where he was imprisoned for 18 years before being moved to Pollsmoor Prison and Victor Verster Prison

Political prisoner: Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in prison on Robben Island in Cape Town's Table Bay

The prison exercise yard on Robben Island - the only bit of open space that Mandela would have had access to in his 18 years there

In court: Nelson Mandela pictured left in South Africa in 1961 and right speaking outside Drill Hall during the Treason Trial, the first major trial for treason in South Africa, in Johannesburg in 1961

 

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Icons: Mandela congratulates singer Stevie Wonder after he performed at a concert in honor of Mandela's 80th birthday, in Johannesburg. Right, Arnold Schwarzenegger meets with former South African president Nelson Mandela at Robben Island to promote the Special Olympics in 2001

 

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[Heaven on Earth]

oooooooooh Shadow this pictures made me cry.............I love Mandela

they got me so emotional......R.I.P Mandela.

so SAD

 

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oooooooooh Shadow this pictures made me cry.............I love Mandela

they got me so emotional......R.I.P Mandela.

so SAD

Heaven on Earth,

He was a good man who sacrificed a lot for his people. His legacy will endure forever!

 

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Mandela in the office of Mandela & Tambo, a law practice set up in Johannesburg by Mandela and Oliver Tambo to provide free or affordable legal representation to black South Africans.

From left: Patrick Molaoa, Robert Resha and Mandela walk to the courtroom for their treason trial in Johannesburg.

A jubilant South African holds up a newspaper announcing Mandela's release from prison at an ANC rally in Soweto on February 11, 1990. Two days later, more than 100,000 people attended a rally celebrating his release from jail.

Mandela and Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda arrive at an ANC rally on March 3, 1990, in Lusaka, Zambia. Mandela was elected president of the ANC the next year.

After his release in 1990, Mandela embarked on a world tour, meeting U.S. President George H.W. Bush at the White House in June.

At his Soweto home on July 18, 1990, Mandela blows out the candles on his 72nd birthday cake. It was the first birthday he celebrated as a free man since the 1960s.

Mandela and his wife react to supporters during a visit to Brazil at the governor's palace in Rio De Janeiro, on August 1, 1991.

South African President Frederik de Klerk, right, and Mandela shared a Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for their work to secure a peaceful transition from apartheid rule.

Mandela votes for the first time in his life on March 26, 1994.

On April 27, 1994, a long line of people snake toward a polling station in the black township of Soweto outside of Johannesburg in the nation's first all-race elections.

Mandela in Mmabatho for an election rally on March 15, 1994.

Mandela was elected president in the first open election in South African history on April 29, 1994. He's pictured here taking the oath at his inauguration in May, becoming the nation's first black president.

Mandela, left, cheers as Springbok Rugby captain Francois Pienaar holds the Webb Ellis trophy high after winning the World Cup Rugby Championship in Johannesburg on June 24, 1995.

After one term as president, Mandela stepped down. Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki, at right, was sworn in as his replacement in June 1999.

 

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Mandela sits outside his former prison cell on Robben Island on November 28, 2003, ahead of his AIDS benefit concert at Green Point Stadium in Cape Town. He was sent to the infamous prison five miles off the coast of South Africa, where he spent 18 of his 27 years behind bars.

Mandela shows something to a group of international journalists visiting the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg in May 2004.

Mandela sits with his wife, Graca Machel, and his grandchildren at his son's funeral on January 15, 2005. He disclosed that his son, Makgatho Lewanika Mandela, had died of AIDS and said the disease should be given publicity so people would stop viewing it as extraordinary.

The "46664 Arctic" benefit concert was held in Tromso, Norway, on June 11, 2005. 46664 was Mandela's identification number in prison. Here, artists who performed at the event surround him.

Mandela attends an HIV/AIDs concert in Johannesburg on February 17, 2005

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton leans down to whisper to former South African President Nelson Mandela during a visit to the Nelson Mandela Foundation on July 19, 2007, in Johannesburg.

A bronze statue of Mandela was unveiled in Parliament Square in London on August 29, 2007. The 9-foot statue faces the Houses of Parliament.

Mandela leaves the InterContinental Hotel after a photoshoot with celebrity photographer Terry O'Neil on June 26, 2008, in London.

Mandela meets in 2009 with international children as part of his 46664 Foundation.

Nelson Mandela and his third wife, Graca Machel, arrive at the 2010 World Cup before the final match between Netherlands and Spain on July 11, 2010, at Soccer City Stadium in Soweto.

Then-U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets with Mandela at his home in Qunu, South Africa, on August 6, 2012.

 

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1939
Education and anti-apartheid activism
Mandela attends the University of Fort Hare, one of the few higher education facilities for black South Africans at the time. He is expelled after taking part in a boycott with Oliver Tambo, who will become a lifelong friend

1944
Political involvement
Mandela joins the African National Congress, a South African political party dedicated to opposing apartheid, South Africa's legal system of racial segregation. Dissatisfied with the ANC and its old-guard politics, Mandela, Tambo and several others formed the Youth League of the African National Congress, hoping to transform the organization into a more radical movement. It was the beginning of Mandela's lifelong commitment to breaking the shackles of segregation in South Africa. That same year, Mandela marries Evelyn Ntoko; the couple will have four children during their 13-year marriage.

1952
Leading nonviolent resistance
Mandela leads the newly launched ANC Campaign for the Defiance of Unjust Laws, a program of nonviolent mass resistance. He is later charged with violating the Suppression

December 5, 1956
Charged with treason
Mandela, along with 155 other political activists, is charged with high treason for his activities against the government. His trial will last five years and end in acquittal.

Photo: Mandela, third from the left, is walked into the room

1958
Marriage to Winnie
After his divorce from Evelyn Ntoko, Mandela marries Nomzamo Winifred "Winnie" Madikizela, a young social worker. They have two daughters. "I cannot say for certain if there is such a thing as love at first sight, but I do know that the moment I first glimpsed [at] Winnie Nomzamo, I knew that I wanted to have her as my wife," Mandela wrote in his 1995 autobiography, "Long Walk to Freedom

1998
Marriage to Graca Machel
Two years after his divorce from Winnie, Mandela marries Graca Machel, widow of late Mozambican President Samora Machel. The following year, his presidential term ends and he is succeeded by Deputy President Thabo Mbeki.

Photo: Michael Jackson after performing at Mandela's 80th birthday party. Mandela is pictured on the left with his new wife

June 2010

World Cup celebrations and family tragedy
Mandela skips the opening of the World Cup in South Africa after his 13-year-old great-granddaughter is killed in a car accident as she returns from the World Cup kickoff concert. A month later, he attended the World Cup closing ceremony.

Photo: Mandela and his wife Graca Machel wave before the start of the closing ceremony of the 2010 FIFA football

March 2013
Outrage over video of frail Mandela
A video of a frail and uncomfortable-looking Nelson Mandela surrounded by South African officials, including President Jacob Zuma, prompts cries of political exploitation by the government. "Very sad seeing the footage of Madiba. And who was the idiot who took a pic of him with a flash? Disgraceful. Leave him alone," tweeted

December 5, 2013
Nelson Mandela 'is now at peace'
Mandela dies at his home in the Johannesburg suburb of Houghton, at age 95. "He is now resting. He is now at peace," South African President Jacob Zuma says. "Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people

courtesy of CNN.

 

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A portrait with his cousin Bikitsha, dating from around 1941, when Mandela would have been about 23.


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The earliest known photograph of Mandela, believed to be taken in 1938. The future president is fifth from the right in the back row.

A photograph of Mandela working in a prison garden, taken in 1977, one of the 27 years he spent behind bars.

The last page of a letter smuggled from Mandela's prison cell on Robben Island in 1977, containing his signature and prisoner number, 46664

The handwritten first page of Mandela's unpublished sequel to his autobiography, "Long Walk to Freedom."


Source: CNN

 

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[h=1]In Mandela's own words[/h]

 

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[h=1]Why Nelson Mandela had six names[/h]

[h=6]Rolihlahla[/h]


At birth he was given the name Rolihlahla Mandela by his father, Nkosi Mphakanyiswa Gadla Henry, according to the Nelson Mandela Foundation. In Xhosa, one of the official languages of South Africa, "Rolihlahla" means "pulling the branch of a tree." More commonly, it's said to mean "troublemaker."

[h=6]Nelson[/h]


The name "Nelson" first made an appearance when the young Mandela was at primary school. According to the Nelson Mandela Foundation, it was given to him by his teacher, Miss Mdingane, on the first day of school in the village of Qunu, but it's unclear why she chose that particular name. It was the early 1920s and, at that time, it was customary to give African children English names to make them easier for British colonials to pronounce

[h=6]Madiba[/h]


In South Africa, Mandela is most commonly referred to as Madiba, the name of the Thembu clan to which he belongs. Madiba was the name of a Thembu chief who, in the 19th century, ruled over a region called the Transkei in the country's southeast. Referring to Mandela as Madiba is a sign of endearment and respect, according to the Nelson Mandela Foundation. This hut is at the "Great Place" palace at Mqhekezweni where Mandela lived as a child under the guardianship of Thembu regent, Chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo.

[h=6]Tata[/h]


Considered the founding father of democracy in South Africa, Mandela is also referred to by many as simply "Tata," the Xhosa word for "father." Here, he receives a hug from a Soweto girl during a visit to a black township near Johannesburg in 1990.

[h=6]Khulu[/h]


The Xhosa language also offers another term of endearment for Mandela. "Khulu" is the shortened word for "uBawomkhulu," which means "grandfather." The word also means "great, paramount, grand," according to the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

[h=6]Dalibhunga[/h]


At the age of 16, Mandela, like other Xhosa boys, was formally initiated into manhood through a traditional Xhosa ceremony. At the time, he was given the name of Dalibhunga, which means "creator or founder of the council" or "convenor of the dialogue," according to the Nelson Mandela Foundation. It adds that, when using the name to greet Mandela, the correct usage is "Aaah! Dalibhunga." This image show young boys from the Xhosa tribe attending a traditional initiation school in Libode in 2008

 

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Mandela lived in this house in the Soweto area of Johannesburg before he was imprisoned. The house is now open to visitors.

Prominent liberation movement leaders including Mandela met at Liliesleaf Farm, in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg, in the 1960s. Many were arrested there in a raid in 1963, but Mandela was already in prison. Parts of the farm have been reconstructed.

Nelson Mandela grew up in the village of Qunu. The house where he retired is located nearby.

 

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He grew up herding cattle, became a lawyer and then a fighter against apartheid. He was imprisoned for life but that did not quiet him. Nelson Mandela became South Africa's first black president, and an icon and inspiration to millions around the world.






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[Ab-Titchaz]

Crowds have been gathering outside Nelson Mandela's home in Johannesburg, where he died on Thursday evening, to pay tribute and mourn the much-loved South African leader

Mr Mandela - who had been fighting a lung infection - died "peacefully in the company of his family" President Jacob Zuma announced on Thursday​