What You Need to Know - Ten Things You Did Not Know About Nelson Mandela

Virtually all and sundry knows the story that hovers around the great leader Nelson Mandela. Obviously, his impact to his country South Africa in particular and Africa in general can never be over emphasized. Howbeit, there are certain things we are still ignorant about. Below are 10 things you did not know about Nelson Mandela.

1. Everyone knows nelson Mandela to be committed to non-violence, but this was not always so. In 1961, he had co-founded a militant group and had led a bombing campaign against government targets. The next year he was arrested and convicted of sabotage and conspiracy to overthrow the government.

2. Before Mandela rose to political leadership, he was a lawyer – and much before that, his first job was that of a night watchman at a mine. However, he lost his job very soon after the headman found out that he was a runaway.

3. Even as Mandela fought out the war against apartheid, he had a thriving personal life. He had three wives, six children, 20 grandchildren and a growing number of great-grandchildren.

4. 60s pop singer bobby vinton had sung ‘trouble is my middle name’. Well, did you know that this is literally true for nelson Mandela as well? His middle name is Rolihlahla, which is xhosa for ‘trouble-maker’.

5. This one might be a better-known, yet interesting, fact about Mandela – his favorite poem is ‘Invictus’ by William Ernest Henley, and used to read it to his fellow prisoners when in jail.

6. Mandela’s favorite food includes fresh sheep meat and a glass of amarhewu. the drink is made from fermented mielie meal that is sour and has a texture somewhat between beer and porridge. Besides, his favorite breakfast is plain porridge with fresh fruit and milk.

7. Nelson Mandela was circumcised at the age of 16 to mark his rite of passage as per his tribal rituals, after which he was given the name ‘Dalibunga’.

8. Mandela’s life is a queer mixture of christian and African influence. While he was baptized as a Methodist and given the English name ‘nelson’ by his teacher; he was personally more interested in native African culture as he was growing up and stated that his early life was dominated by ‘custom, ritual and taboo’.

9. A lesser known fact about Mandela is that he has received honorary degrees from more than 50 international universities and among other awards, he was also given the Bharat Ratna by the Indian Government in 1990.

10. Besides being referred to as the ‘Father of the Nation’ and ‘The Founding Father of Democracy’, he is also called the ‘Black Pimpernel’ when he used to go under a number of disguises to evade arrest during his years in hiding.