Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela, (Rolihlahia) (1818- ). South African politician; first Black president of his country (1994- ). The son of a tribal chief, Mandela practised as a lawyer and was active in the African National Congress. After this organization was banned in 1960, he led a campaign of sabotage and guerrilla activity until 1962, when he was arrested and imprisoned. In 1964 he was retried and sentenced to life imprisonment for treason. After a long international campaign he was finally released in 1990, having by this time become an al-most mythical symbol of resistance to apartheid. As vice-president and then president (from 1991) of the ANC, he led negotiations with the government of F. W. de Klerk and signed South Africa’s new non-racial constitution (1993). That same year he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize jointly with de Klerk. In 1994 he led the ANC to an overwhelming victory in the country’s first multiracial elections. His wife Winnie Mandela (1934- ) became an international figure during the campaign for Nelson’s release. Following her conviction on charges relating to the abduction and assault of several youths, they separated in 1992; Nelson Mandela began divorce proceedings in 1995. Manet, Edouard (1832-83). French painter, often regarded as the founder of impressionism. Manet abandoned his study of law and decided to become a painter after a voyage to Rio de Janeiro. In 1863 he exhibited paintings with Monet and Renoir; the beginning of French Impressionism is usually dated from this exhibition. Although his paintings, such as The Absinthe Drinker and De jeuner sur l’herbe, were considered shocking at the time, they reflect Manet’s admiration and study of old masters such as Velasquez.
