A Breaking News

December 5, 2013, the one great leader: Nelson Mandela left this world. Many great achievements which he accomplished are deeply engraved in people's memory. We would like to show the condolence and respect for him this time, and to look back upon his wonderful life.

Nelson Mandela (18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013)

Nelson Mandela was born on 18 July 1918 in the village of Mvezo in Umtata. After graduating from Methodism groups mission school, he entered in the University of Fort Hare in 1939. He was expelled from the university in 1940 because he led the student strike. He participated in African National Congress in 1944 and he came to tackle antiapartheid movement. Therefore, he was arrested on August 5 1962. He became life imprisonment by the national treason and was imprisoned in Robben Island. This imprisonment reached in 27. He became respiratory ailments including tuberculosis at this time, and hurt his eyes according to hard work. But he continued study during imprisonment, finished the correspondence course of the South Africa University in 1989, and acquired the bachelor-of-laws number. The situation improved by having conferred with President Frederic De Klerk in December, 1989. In 1990, he was released at last on February 11, 1990. He abolished apartheid in June, 1991 and won the Nobel Peace Prize with De Klerk on the following day, December 10, 1993. The first complete-man kind participating election in the history of South Africa was carried out, and, as a result, Nelson was inaugurated as the President. He hand over the chairperson’s post to Thabo Mbeki (the Vice-President), and retired from the political world in December, 1997. After retirement, a prostatic cancer was discovered from his body in July, 2001, and he underwent the radiotherapy for seven weeks. Although he recovered, he stopped appearing at a public place in 2010 and afterwards. For advanced age, his decline beginning to be visible to the body, and he was hospitalized in the hospital of capital Pretoria on December 8, 2012 for the infection of a lung. On April 6, 2013, since condition had improved, he left hospital. However, condition got worse from June, 2013, infection was made to recur, and it became hospitalization from June 8. Then, his condition was stable and the 95th birthday came around in the sickroom on July 18. But, he died at the house in Johannesburg on December 5 (predawn on Japan Standard Time the sixth), 2013.  Age at death was 95 years old. Many people in the world lamented his death, and the leader of each country attended the memorial ceremony.

 Although Nelson Mandela’s life met with many difficulties, he pierced through the ideal, and achieved the aim without ever being discouraged. His image impressed the person in the world and produced many hope. We pray his soul may rest in peace and appears again a person like him.

A list of reference: ネルソン・マンデラ伝　こぶしは希望より 高く(Nelson Mandela 　A fist is higher than hope) ファティマ・ミーア著　(written by Fatima Meer)

                                          ネルソン・マンデラ　闘いはわが人生(Nelson Mandela  A battle is my life)   ネル ソン・マンデラ著(written by Nelson Mandela)