MYTHS AND HEROES

written by HUPPERT Camille and MATHIS Emilie

A myth can be defined as a story about gods or heroes, it can be a popular belief or a tradition or a false notion. A hero can be a mythological figure, a person who is admired for his or her achievements and help others and symbolise moral values.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, also known by his tribal name Madiba, was the first black president of South Africa. He was born on July the 18^th 1918 in Mvezo and died on 5^th December 2013 in Johannesburg. He got a law degree in 1942 at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg; then he joined the ANC, African National Congress, which is a moderate political party of the black bourgeoisie. In 1945 the  Apartheid became official, so Mandela who was at the head of the ANC(African National Congress) fought against it, and after many arrests and trials, he was sentenced in 1964. He had to go to Victor Verster prison. Nelson Mandela was finally released on February the 11^th 1990 after spending 27 years in prison. Moreover, in 1991, he was elected president of the ANC which was legalized by the government of South Africa. On April the 27^th when he participated for the first time to free elections for both white and black communities, he was elected President , on May 9^th. His term was marked by the will to set up a "rainbow nation”. Black people , mixed people and white people were represented in Parliament as a symbol of reconciliation. He was the President  until 1999. Besides, he founded the Nelson Mandela Foundation and devoted himself to the fight against AIDS after the death of one of his sons in 2005.

  I think Nelson Mandela was a hero because he managed to reunify South Africa and he gathered  black and white people. He was the first black president after 27 years in prison, and I am impressed that he managed to get over his imprisonment and to become the symbol of the fight for racial equality. Moreover, he put an end to the apartheid and fought against racial segregation. Nelson Mandela also fought against the political domination of the white minority and he put in place a reconciliation policy, this is why he received a Nobel Peace Prize with Frederik de Klerk, (the last white South African President) which shows once again that Nelson Mandela was a peace hero. Besides, he fought against economic inequalities and he avoided a civil war between the supporters of the apartheid and those of the ANC. Finally, we can say that Nelson Mandela was really a hero since he brought peace to his country and between the people living there, even if the country he loved let him 27 years locked in prison. He was a hero because he was able to forgive, and help the others to do the same.

  I find that the first scenes of « Invictus » show the end of apartheid. When Nelson Mandela was released from prison, he drove past a football ground for blacks and the rugby field for the whites. We can guess the big gap between the two communities, when we watch the rugby gear, the well mown lawn of the field and the black teenagers in rags on the other side of the road. Sport will later become  the symbol of  reconciliation and the link between the two communities. Mandela was the only possible solution for South Africa to bring peace to his country. Then, we can see Mandela and his everyday life, and we can infer that he is a simple and modest man. Moreover he is frank with his staff and he has good values : he doesn't make any differences between blacks and whites. We can deduce that Mandela is shown as a really great man who remains humble at the beginning of the film.

I saw another film about Nelson Mandela entitled « Long Walk to Freedom » which was released a few days before his death. It is a biography which talks about Mandela's childhood, his political career, his fights against apartheid and his years in prison. I found that film very stirring and I really liked the performance of Idris Elba.