Students can also check English Summary to revise with them during exam preparation.
Nelson Mandela Long Walk to Freedom Summary Analysis and Explanation By Nelson Mandela
About the Poet Nelson Mandela
| Poet Name | Nelson Mandela |
| Born | 18 July 1918, Mvezo, South Africa |
| Died | 5 December 2013, Houghton Estate, Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Education | University of South Africa (1989) |
| Awards | Nobel Peace Prize, Bharat Ratna |
Nelson Mandela – Long Walk to Freedom Summary of the Lesson
This extract has been taken from the autobiography of Nelson Mandela, ‘Long Walk to Freedom’. In this small passage, Mandela speaks about a historic occasion, “the inauguration.”
It was 10th May when a huge gathering of international leaders had assembled in Pretoria to mark the end of white supremacy. It was the pleasant installation of first democratic non-racial government of South Africa.
Mr de Klerk and Mr Thabo Mbeki were sworn is as second and first deputy presidents respectively. After that Nelson Mandela pledged to obey the Constitution. He dedicated himself to the well-being of his people.
The swearing ceremony was followed by a spectacular show by jets, defence and police force. In the end-V- shaped Impala jets left a smoke trail of the black, red, green, blue and gold of the new South Africa flag.
On this occasion, Mandela recalls how a system of racial domination was created against the dark-skinned people in their own land. He calls it the most inhumane system. He is glad to overturn the system.
He promised for a system where the recognition would be given to the rights and freedom of all people regardless of the colour of their skin. He remembers all the leaders who sacrificed their lives to end the era of oppression. He regrets that they are not alive to see what their sacrifice had achieved.
He writes that the era of oppression and brutality created a deep and lasting wound in his country but at the same time this era created men of extraordinary courage and wisdom. Such people are the greatest wealth of the country.
He thanked those heroes who taught him that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.
No one is born to hate others. If we can learn to hate, we can learn to love.also. This is what we should do. We should learn to love.
Mandela talks about twin obligations – an obligation to his family, to his parents, to his wife and children; and he has an obligation to his people, his community, his country. He emphasises that in a civil society each one of us should fulfil these two obligations.
He regrets that during the era of oppression no one in South Africa could fulfil, these obligations. But now he promises that each one of the citizens would get an environment where he would fulfil the twin obligations. He desired for the freedom of his people to live with dignity, self-respect and without any fear.
ਸ਼ਹੀਦ ਬਾਬਾ ਦੀਪ ਸਿੰਘ ਜੀ Summary In Punjabi