10. He Was A Communist
Well, very few people may know that Nelson
was a communist. Let me clarify this. Firstly, The South African Communist
Party of 50s and 60s stood in direct opposition to the system that was making
life terrible for millions of black citizens. And there's a genuine reason why someone
who was both black and poor might attracted to it. But, Mandela indeed was more
interested in learning resistance techniques than turning South Africa into a
Marxist ideal. But if we dig into evidences, Nelson once was an active member of
The South African Communist Party. But to gain the support from America, he later
hid this fact and he was even successful in that.
9. He Hated His Public Image
Actually, Mandela really didn't like
his Public Image and he just hated to practice false modesty in Politics too. Even
when he was first elected as the President of South Africa, he quoted that he was
not Messiah. In his own words, he was "just an ordinary man who had become
leader because of extraordinary circumstances." Westerners picture him as a
saint like figure though. The real hero of anti-apartheid struggle was not
actually the saint as we want him to be. He was a human with mistakes, who wasn't
angelic deity the world wanted him to be. But the reality is, yes he was a
regular Joe but again, stood up for what he believed in and he changed the
world.
8. Nelson Was On The US Terror Watch List Until 2008
Surprisingly though, Nelson Mandela wasn't
removed from the US Terror Watch List until 2008, when he was 89. Because of their
militant fight against apartheid, Mandela and other members of African National
Congress were placed on that list. Former US president George W Bush had signed
a bill removing Nelson Mandela and other South African Leaders from the US
Terror Watch List. Before he was off this list, members of ANC were permitted
travel to the United Nations headquarters in New York but were restricted to travel
to the Washington DC or other parts of USA. He was removed off the list in the
steps of US legislation towards removing the shame of dishonoring this
great leader, a Nobel Prize Winner.
7. He Was A Womanizer
It's so hard to imagine that warm
old man like our parents was ever a sexual being, a womanizer. But according to
his biographers, Nelson was more than just a sexual being – he was the Casanova
of 1940s South Africa. He was such an energetic, dashing and charismatic guy. It's
been said that he managed to carry on dozens of affairs at any one time. However,
Mandela always wanted the world to be aware of his failings.
6. He Was A Poor Student
Very few people are aware of the
fact that Mandela was a poor student. He was not a very good student and he
left in 1948 without graduating. Nelson was even unable to complete a law
degree at University of London. He was expelled from the University College of
Fort Hare as he participated in a student protest. Notwithstanding, he later gained more
than fifty honorary degrees from reputed international universities.
5. A Master of Disguise
Another fact only few people know
about Nelson Mandela is he was a master of disguise. He disguised himself as a
chef, a garden boy, and a chauffeur in order to evade from the police. As he wrote
in his autobiography The Long Walk to Freedom, he would wear the blue overalls
of the fieldworker and often wore around. He had a car and he'd wear a cap of chauffeur
with his overalls. He was then a creature of the night. He would keep to hid at
the daytime and would emerge for his works during the nights.
4. His Inspiration Was a Poem
This may wonder anyone that what
actually was the inspiration for such a great leader? But you will be astounded
to know that his inspiration was nothing other than a poem. While locked up at
Robben Island for decades, he would read 'Invictus' by Ernest Henley to his
fellow prisoners. The favorite lines of Mandela from the poem "I am the
master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul" would ever resonate in his
mind. It was the most inspiring thing for Mandela. The poem is actually about
never giving up, come what may.
3. He Was Friends With Gaddafi
Muammar Gaddafi, obviously one of
the most unpleasant tyrants in the world ever had. Gaddafi had a friend in the international
community that everyone welcomes. And he was no other than Nelson Mandela. To
relate the point, let's dig out some context. While African National Congress was
outlawed, Muammar Gaddafi was among the few people belligerent enough to
support Mandela with supplying arms and money they needed. Mandela even visited
Gaddafi in 1994 while it was technically illegal and supported his regime right
until the end. It looks like lunacy to us, but Mandela once claimed that
apartheid couldn't have terminated without the support of Libya.
2. He Was A Committed 'Spice Girls' Fan
To your wonder, Nelson was fantastically
a committed fan of 'Spice Girls,' say several sources. The Spice Girls were a barnstorming
pop band of 1990s that stood up for feminism by being loud and obnoxious. In
1997, The Spice Girls were successful enough to meet Nelson. By that time, Nelson
referred them his heroes. He also quoted that meeting The Spice Girls was one
of the most emotional moments of his life as well. BBC reported that, Mandela was
more overwhelmed meeting The Spice Girls than meeting Bill Clinton, Tony Blair
and the UN Secretary General combined.
1. Founded ANC But Always Opposed Violence Towards Civilians
Most of us are well-known that the
world once saw Nelson Mandela as a terrorist. Actually there would not have
been a military wing of ANC without Mandela. Being a military wing, ANC later targeted
civilians with few deadlier bomb blasts.
But even being a man behind ANC, Mandela constantly opposed the Military wing of ANC (MK) ever targeting any human beings let alone the non-military targets. ANC only stepped up to target military personnel after Mandela was jailed. Mandela was uninvolved and he actively disapproved every cruel campaigns of MK. While Nelson may have been responsible for founding ANC, he never was the part of any violent actions of that wing.
