Two Visions of Mandela
The fact that he had emerged from prison as a graceful, compassionate, forgiving individual has had a staggering global impact.
Mandela and the Politics of Forgiveness
The U.S. and South Africa have kindred histories, and Mandela was revered here as a proxy for the American past.
by Jelani Cobb
Nelson Mandela
In a post-heroic age, Mandela attained the stature of a classical hero: at once a righteously angry warrior and a wise and just peacemaker, an emblem of reconciliation. Everything that was most promising in South Africa was identified with him, and all that is wretched and dispiriting was seen not as his failure but as a failure of the country to live up to him.
The Face of Freedom
Nelson Mandela, photographed in Soweto by Annie Leibovitz, in June, 1990.
Nelson Mandela
To have lived one’s life at the same time, and in the same natal country, as Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was a guidance and a privilege we South Africans shared. I also knew the privilege of becoming one of his friends. I met him in 1964, during the Rivonia Trial, when he was being tried for acts of sabotage against the government, and I was present in court when he was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Nelson Mandela
We are sentimental about Nelson Mandela. We use words like “love” and “beauty.” We did not only love him; we wanted him, after his years of deprivation, to be enveloped in love.
by Zoë Wicomb
Nelson Mandela
Mandela was a man apart. He was that rare individual whose time in detention served the useful purpose of solidifying his vision. In his decades of incarceration, he brought his outward existence and inner life into harmony; the depth of his humility ennobled him.
Nelson Mandela funeral preparations put authorities under pressure
The day South Africa came to pray, sing and celebrate in Soweto’s cathedral
Nelson Mandela’s office becomes a place of pilgrimage
UK to send huge political delegation to South Africa
Nelson Mandela shared final moments with wife and former wife, says friend
Nelson Mandela: national day of prayer for country’s ‘guiding light’
Barack Obama, Oprah and Bono to visit South Africa to pay tribute to Mandela
South Africa prepares for week-long commemoration of Mandela’s life
Prince Charles to attend Nelson Mandela funeral
Archbishop of Canterbury praises Nelson Mandela’s courage
After Mandela: memories and hearfelt recognition in Johannesburg’s township
Without the Observer, and David Astor, Mandela would have hanged
Anxious and conflicted: Afrikaners await a post-Mandela world
Mourning Nelson Mandela: dissenting voices amid the adulation
Mandela relatives mourn loss of the ‘pillar of the family’
Nelson Mandela: How Africa has changed in his lifetime
Nelson Mandela: how apartheid regime’s court tried to destroy the ANC
Nelson Mandela: the freedom fighter who embraced his enemies
Nelson Mandela: ‘On Robben Island he never asked for special treatment’
On the day of his release, Nelson Mandela stood tall
What Mandela meant to me: five South African voices
Desmond Tutu: Mandela was the world’s most admired and most revered public figure
Chris McGreal: never forget how the free world’s leaders learned to change their tune
Nelson Mandela: A world statesman who made time for everyone
Peter Hain: Nelson Mandela and the Anti-Apartheid Movement
Sipho Hlongwane: Nelson Mandela’s meaning for young South Africans
Ken Wiwa: We Nigerians are celebrating Mandela as the kind of of hero we’ve never had
Ed Miliband: Mandela healed the wounds of the past with compassion and generosity
Nelson Mandela: a shining lesson that politics can be a tremendous force for good
Maya Angelou writes poem in honour of Nelson Mandela
What Mandela meant to me: five South African voices
India shows there can be life beyond the great liberator
Soweto comes together to celebrate Mandela
South Africa’s week of mourning for ‘outstanding son’ Mandela
Tributes and reaction to Mandela’s death – latest developments
Tributes and reaction – in pictures
Funeral to bring together world’s most powerful people
Nelson Mandela: a life in quotes
What will happen to Nelson Mandela’s family now the great unifier has gone?
Nelson and Winnie Mandela’s marriage ended, but the bond was never broken
The Conservative party’s uncomfortable relationship with Nelson Mandela
Datablog: how South Africa has changed since Nelson Mandela’s release
The Eight Worst Conservative Responses To Nelson Mandela’s Death