Finally, the South African government gave in - they agreed to end apartheid, have an
election where everyone could vote, and let Nelson Mandela go free.
Over the years, Nelson Mandela had become a symbol of the fight against oppression.
Most people expected him to come out of prison angrier than ever; they thought he would
call on black people to seek revenge.
But Mandela had spent all those years thinking about everything he had seen, and he had
changed his mind about fighting and hating. He wanted to find a way to work together
with whites, to build a “rainbow nation” where every person would be equal, like the
colors in a rainbow.
In the first free election in South Africa, Mandela was elected president. He worked to
get black and white people to forgive each other for bad things they had done in the past.
“If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy,” he
said. “Then he becomes your partner.”
Nelson Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. The man who had lost so
much had taught his nation, and the world, the importance and power of forgiveness.
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