Nelson Mandela International Day: 6 things you must know about this world leader

July 18 is celebrated as Nelson Mandela International Day. The South African world leader has inspired generations together with his humanitarian act and as a peacemaker. While his every act is documented and available on the web, here are a few things that every human must know about this international leader.

His teacher named him Nelson

Nelson was not his original name. The first President of democratic South Africa’s birth name was Rolihlahla Mandela. However, his teacher used to call him Nelson in school and that is how he came to be known as Nelson Mandela.

Received law degree in prison

Nelson fought against injustice from his college days. After enrolling in 1931 at the University College of Fort Hare he protested against the policies of the University. As a result, he was expelled and jailed. However, he did complete his graduation in law and received the degree in 1989 from the University of South Africa during his last months in jail.

Over the years he received more than 50 honorary degrees from various universities across the world.

Nelson was forced to leave his village

Since he went to jail during college, his reputation in his village was stained. That is why when he returned to his native place, the king of his village tried to force arranged marriages on him and his cousin. But neither Nelson Mandela nor his cousin wanted to get married and hence ran away to Johannesburg.

Established first black law practice

His fight for justice for black people in South Africa became more formative when in 1952 he established the first black law practice in the country along with Oliver Tambo, his fellow ANC member. Through his practice, Nelson Mandela primarily challenged apartheid laws in South Africa, especially the “pass laws” that made it mandatory for non-white citizens to carry certain documents with them to authenticate their presence in restricted places.

Nelson used different name to leave South Africa

Due to his aggressive activities against the existing anti-white laws, Nelson Mandela was banned from moving out of the country. That is why he used a fake identity with the name David Motsamayi to travel abroad and spread his message of peace in different countries.

He believed sports can play a big role in bringing down racism

Despite being in prison, he continued his activism and mentored and taught several prisoners the lesson of nonviolent resistance. He believed that sports can change and inspire the world and can play a big role in bringing down racism. That is why he used sports in his activism.