(no subject)
So I went to Barnes and Noble early this morning and bought two books. Bought myself a cup of hot coco, and sat down at a table next to the window and proceeded to start a leisurely Sunday of reading.
I'm reading about a prominent political figure that is linked to a royal family in a country where tribes were ruled by Chiefs, where they reported to the British Government. This person was distantly related to one of the head leaders of a tribe and was bound to be in politics or at least play an influential role in politics. It's amazing to read about his travels from living with his father and mother, and then moving to another village where he was then entrusted to a distant relative's care, who was a chief of the village where he can recall being happy and called home while growing up. He then has the opportunity to go to high school and college, which was very rare opportunity for this person's race unless they had the money and means to do so. During his college years, he begins to be involved in politics and started to "buck" the system and started to challenge why things were the way they were.
I read that while he was training to become a lawyer, his eyes were opened to the inequality between the blacks and whites in his country and how he started to participate in the African National Congress (ANC) and being exposed to the other political groups that were slowly rising into the light of S. Africa. Did you know that he and his friend were the FIRST Law offices that had black lawyers in Johannesburg? Needless to to say, his office was always busy and he was busy with representing people in court. Along the way, he was summoned and given bans limiting him to Johannesburg and not allowing him to go participate in political rallies or visit his mother in the second village he grew up in.
I read about how other races were creating their own political groups fighting for their rights to have the right to vote, own land, education and right to own property. I learned about how all of these different political groups decided to merge together to organize multiple days of boycotting the British Parliament and how the Apartheid took over the government and completely ruined the education system. Before the Apartheid, the schools were missionary schools providing free education for the black population through grade school, but higher education was based on whether the family and the means and money to continue education. After the Apartheid was placed, schools started to close down as these missionary schools would not turn over the school to the government. Here, several thousand children were suddenly out of school. The Apartheid had the mentality that the black population was the "lesser" population and the white population was superior. S. Africa's populations were slowly being segregated and by segregating them, they were slowly turning against each other. However, the ANC was able to keep a majority of the groups together as they were fighting for a common cause: their right to own and their own freedom.
It's interesting how this political figure was the key person in so many ways of being non-violent in going against the government and the influential people that he met along his political career. It is interesting that Mahatma Ghandi's son was part of this organization and helped influence the way the ANC reacted to the Britich Parliament and to the Apartheid.
It is just amazing to hear how this man came from the country and with time, with many points of being a bit bull headed and hot-headed, he ended up to be such an influential person. Though he may be seen as a kind person, he had a tumultuous past of from being a naive country child to where he currently is. It's just amazing to read all the events he experienced and I'm not even half way through this book. I'm currently at the point of where he is being arrested in front of his children and being charged with treason.
Who am I talking about? What book am I reading? Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela. A book that definitely makes one appreciate the little things that we take for granted. I look forward to read more about this political figure. His style of writing is not pompous, more humbled and filled a lot with hind-sight. He definitely points out his short-handedness as well as acknowledging the people who had helped him get to where he was. As the review quote from the Boston Sunday Globe says, "Should be read by every person alive." I agree with it so far! As I continue to read Nelson Mandela's journey to freedom, I'll keep you posted with my thoughts...
I'm reading about a prominent political figure that is linked to a royal family in a country where tribes were ruled by Chiefs, where they reported to the British Government. This person was distantly related to one of the head leaders of a tribe and was bound to be in politics or at least play an influential role in politics. It's amazing to read about his travels from living with his father and mother, and then moving to another village where he was then entrusted to a distant relative's care, who was a chief of the village where he can recall being happy and called home while growing up. He then has the opportunity to go to high school and college, which was very rare opportunity for this person's race unless they had the money and means to do so. During his college years, he begins to be involved in politics and started to "buck" the system and started to challenge why things were the way they were.
I read that while he was training to become a lawyer, his eyes were opened to the inequality between the blacks and whites in his country and how he started to participate in the African National Congress (ANC) and being exposed to the other political groups that were slowly rising into the light of S. Africa. Did you know that he and his friend were the FIRST Law offices that had black lawyers in Johannesburg? Needless to to say, his office was always busy and he was busy with representing people in court. Along the way, he was summoned and given bans limiting him to Johannesburg and not allowing him to go participate in political rallies or visit his mother in the second village he grew up in.
I read about how other races were creating their own political groups fighting for their rights to have the right to vote, own land, education and right to own property. I learned about how all of these different political groups decided to merge together to organize multiple days of boycotting the British Parliament and how the Apartheid took over the government and completely ruined the education system. Before the Apartheid, the schools were missionary schools providing free education for the black population through grade school, but higher education was based on whether the family and the means and money to continue education. After the Apartheid was placed, schools started to close down as these missionary schools would not turn over the school to the government. Here, several thousand children were suddenly out of school. The Apartheid had the mentality that the black population was the "lesser" population and the white population was superior. S. Africa's populations were slowly being segregated and by segregating them, they were slowly turning against each other. However, the ANC was able to keep a majority of the groups together as they were fighting for a common cause: their right to own and their own freedom.
It's interesting how this political figure was the key person in so many ways of being non-violent in going against the government and the influential people that he met along his political career. It is interesting that Mahatma Ghandi's son was part of this organization and helped influence the way the ANC reacted to the Britich Parliament and to the Apartheid.
It is just amazing to hear how this man came from the country and with time, with many points of being a bit bull headed and hot-headed, he ended up to be such an influential person. Though he may be seen as a kind person, he had a tumultuous past of from being a naive country child to where he currently is. It's just amazing to read all the events he experienced and I'm not even half way through this book. I'm currently at the point of where he is being arrested in front of his children and being charged with treason.
Who am I talking about? What book am I reading? Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela. A book that definitely makes one appreciate the little things that we take for granted. I look forward to read more about this political figure. His style of writing is not pompous, more humbled and filled a lot with hind-sight. He definitely points out his short-handedness as well as acknowledging the people who had helped him get to where he was. As the review quote from the Boston Sunday Globe says, "Should be read by every person alive." I agree with it so far! As I continue to read Nelson Mandela's journey to freedom, I'll keep you posted with my thoughts...