Nelson Mandela

Anti-apartheid leader, South Africa's first black president, and a global symbol of reconciliation and human dignity.

Nelson Mandela (1918–2013) was a South African political leader and activist who became a global symbol of the struggle against apartheid. He spent 27 years in prison for his resistance to the racist regime. After his release, he led the transition to democracy and became South Africa’s first Black president (1994–1999). He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.