Nelson Mandela door Rowena Akinyemi

1. What is the title of the book?

The title of the book is Nelson Mandela

2. What is the name of the writer of the book?

The name of the writer is Rowena Akinyemi.  She is a British women, and she has lived in Africa, but now she lives and works in Cambridge. (Great Britain) She was a teacher in English in Africa and in Britain. She has four children and she likes football specially Manchester United.  She likes holidays , walking in Wales, shopping in London, looking at historical buildings or go to a concert. When she was a student she went on marches against apartheid in London. She never meet Nelson Mandela but she met Chief Buthelezi. That was an important man in South Africa an had a position in Nelson Mandela’s first Government. Bishop Tutu has she met in London with his wife. Every year she goes to South Africa for a holiday

3. Who are the main characters in the book?

The most important main character in the book is Nelson Mandela, but in the book were a lot of names who were important in the life of Nelson Mandela. I will explain some important persons

Chief Jongintaba             : His uncle, he was the king of the Thembu people

Justice                                  : His cousin. With him he study on university and with him he goes secretly to  

  Johannesburg because they want not to marry with the girls which his uncle  

  had chosen for them.

Oliver Tambo                    : His friend at the university

Gaur Radebe                    : His collegae and his friend on protest marches

Walter Sisulu                     : He give Nelson Mandela his first job and here he met his first wife

Evelyn Mase                      : His first wife (Thembekile was his first son and Makgatho/Makaziwe were

  the third and fourth child. One girl died  

Winnie Madikizela          : His second wife ( 2 daughters named Zenani en Zindziswa)

Graça Machel                   : His third wife, he married her on his eightieth birthday

Dr. Daniel Malan              : He introduced the political system apartheid

President the Klerk        : A president in 1989 who has began to change the situation in South Africa,

  before Mandela became president

Archbishop Tutu              : He won in 1984 the Nobel Peace Price. He was a famous South African

                                                 Church leader and he was against apartheid

Jesse Jackson                    : An American black leader who spoke against the apartheid

4. What is the most important thing that happens to the main character?

In the book are too many things that I found important. But one of the most important things was that he fights against the apartheid and that he became the president of South Africa. But I found also important that he won the Noble Peace Price, and that he used his prisoner number for a bank number. This number was 46664. He organized many concerts for aids. His sun died of aids.

5. What kind of book is it?

It is a book that tells about the life of Nelson Mandela. An autobiographic book  I think. It is real.

6.Where does the story take place?

The story take place in South Africa. But when he was a prisoner he lives on Robben Island. He was borne in Qunu in the Transkei province, when his father died he lives by his uncle in the village Mqhekezweni. First he study on the university of Fort Hare near by the town Alice. Later he lived and worked in Johannesburg. When he wants a quieter life he goes back to his first place Qunu.

7. Is there a turning point in the story?

Yes  but  there too many turning points like:

•  - when he  fight against apartheid in the ANC (African National Congress)
• when he was a prisoner for nearly thirty  years
• when he was free on 11 February 1990
•  when he was president of Africa from 1994 till 1999
• when he started the Children Fund in 1995
•  when his son died of AIDS in January 2005
• when he organized a concert for people with AIDS
• when he used his prison number 46664 for the child fund and music campaign.

8. What’s your favorite moment in the book

There are too many favorite moments in the book. But I found chapter 6 but also chapter 7 my  favorite chapters. In this chapters you can read over his time as prisoner. When Nelson arrived he protest against the shorts. The African prisoner must wear a short trouser. The other prisoners not. In the winter it was cold and the electric light in the cell was never turned of. When you want to study your family must pay the books.. The most awful thing was that the prisoners could have one visitor every six months. His daughter Zindzi was also visiting Nelson but she was shy because she didn’t see her father for 12 years. Nelson wrote a book of his life in the prison. The prisoner sang in the beginning freedom songs but the wards soon stopped them. It was forbidden. In the prison Nelson worked in a garden he had made. And he sports like running and tennis. The guards made a tennis court. His old student friend Oliver Tambo started the campaign “Free Mandela”. Pictures were send around the world and  South African government became very unpopular. My mother told there was a song about Nelson Mandela. The name of this song was “Free Nelson Mandela”. It became the fight song of the ANC. I have search for this song on You Tube. The artist were Special Aka. This song was written in the year 1984.

 9. Summarize the book in about +/- 100 words

Nelson Mandela Nelson Mandela is borne on 18 juli 1918 als Rolihlahla in a small village Qunu in the province Transkei. His names means troublemaker.  His first teacher changed his name in Nelson.  When his father died he goes to live with his mother by his uncle Chief Jongintaba. First Mandela goes with his cousin to study on the university Fort Hare. But he must stopped with his study because he was protest about the food at the college. Later he ran away with his cousin to Johannesburg because he didn’t want to marry the girl which his uncle chosen for him. In Johannesburg he began to work in a lawyer office and studied  in the evening. He met his first wife and he joined the ANC which means African National Congress. In the begin the ANC was against violence but later they used violence. (the spear of the nation). Dr Daniel Malan introduced the term apartheid. Black people were separated. There were laws to separate white and black people in all areas, like schools, work, hospitals etc. Black people must moves to townships. Townships were the areas outside the city were black people must live. There was no running water or electricity. The houses were poor. Mandela fights against this laws but Nelson came in prison for the rest of his live. The Prison was in Robben Island. He was in prison for almost thirty years. Mandela became a famous person around the whole world. He knew Jesse Jackson, Desmond Tutu etc. When he was free he continue his fight. At he end of 1993 Nelson Mandela and president de Klerk were given the Nobel Peace Prize for their work for peace in South Africa. And on 10 may 1994 he became president of South Africa till 1999.The government exist of  black and white south Africans, Indians and colored communists. Also friends of him were elected in the government. He married three times and he get six child’s. He started the Childrens Fund in 1995 for help the children of South Africa and he used his visits to get money. His first sun Thembekile died of aids He also organized a music campaign against aids.. Nelson Mandela used his prisoner number (46664) for the music concert. Famous artist were  Bob Geldof, Bono, Beyonce. After this concert there came a lot of more concerts in the whole world.