When I came to Johannesburg from the countryside, I knew nobody, but many strangers were very kind to me. I then was dragged into politics, and then, subsequently, I became a lawyer.
Descriptionformer President of South Africa, anti-apartheid activist
AliasesNelson Rolihlahla Mandela; Mandela; Madiba
BornJuly 18, 1918
DiedDecember 5, 2013
CountrySouth Africa
ProfessionPolitician; Autobiographer
AwardsJawaharlal Nehru Award For International Understanding; Nobel Peace Prize; Honorary Companion Of The Order Of Australia; Grandmaster Of The Order Of Good Hope; Platinum Order Of Mapungubwe; Gold Olympic Order; Order Of Lenin; Princess Of Asturias Award For International Cooperation; Presidential Medal Of Freedom; Order Of The Aztec Eagle; Order Of The Elephant; Order Of The Gold Lion Of The House Of Nassau; Grand Cross Of The National Order Of Mali; Knight Grand Cross Of The Order Of St. Olav?; Royal Order Of The Seraphim; Order Of Prince Yaroslav The Wise; Order Of Merit; Venerable Order Of Saint John; Honorary Canadian Citizenship; Lenin Peace Prize; Sakharov Prize; Honorary Companion Of The Order Of Canada; Order Of Isabella The Catholic; Order Of Augusto César Sandino; Mo Ibrahim Prize For Achievement In African Leadership; Bruno Kreisky Award; Companion Of The Order Of Canada; Order Of St. Olav; United Nations Prize In The Field Of Human Rights; Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize; Order Of Australia; Four Freedoms Award - Freedom Medal; Philadelphia Liberty Medal; Bharat Ratna; Al-Gaddafi International Prize For Human Rights; Giuseppe Motta Medal; Arthur Ashe Courage Award; Ludovic-Trarieux International Human Rights Prize; Ahimsa Award; Delta Prize For Global Understanding