After 27 Years in Prison He Became President and Changed In 1990, Nelson Mandela is finally freed from the Victor Verstar prison after 27 years. His release is frowned upon by racists who consider him a terrorist, but it inspires black people to fight more for their rights putting the country on the verge of a civil war. Mandela gives a speech asking everyone to put down their weapons because he thinks the country should work together. Four years later, black people finally get to vote and this allows Mandela to become president. Being such an important figure, however, does not take his modesty away.
 |
| After 27 Years in Prison He Became President and Changed |
He makes his own bed, learns the names of all his employees and their families and still goes on his morning walk every day. Although now two bodyguards come along. White people are still not happy with these results and newspapers wonder if he is capable of ruling the country. Amongst the people against Mandela are the parents of Francois, the captain of the national rugby team who has to deal with his father's rant about his son losing any possibility to have a good future because the blacks are in charge. During his first morning in the office, Mandela notices lots of desks are empty and other employees packing up.
The story of Nelson Mandela
The white men are gossiping about getting fired too. He calls for a meeting and tells everyone that they are free to go if that is what they wish. But nobody is getting fired for their language or the color of their skin. This neutrality includes hiring Special Branch cops for his bodyguard team which needs more men now that he is president. The Black Guards do not approve of this idea and remind Mandela that these are the same guys that not long ago tried to kill them.
But for Mandela, the message he sends in public is important. If he wants a rainbow nation, he must be an example of reconciliation as forgiveness removes fear. This idea is still not well received by the Black Guards but they shall do as Mandela says and they will teach the new guards how to take good care of their new president. For example, Mandela always wants them to smile when they push people back. The first really complicated mission for the bodyguards is protecting Mandela during a rugby match the national team called the Springbox versus England.
The Springbox is a team made of white players except for Chester and most of their followers are against Mandela. In fact, the situation is so tense that black South Africans cheer for England instead of their own team. Mandela trusts his guards though, and he is not afraid of going out on the field to shake hands with both teams while ignoring the booing he gets from certain people. To defend his point, he approaches the public and thanks the white people that are wearing the new flag for their support. His bodyguards take him away right before he could be hit by a cup thrown by a hater in the crowd.
Nelson Mandela Released From Prison
Sadly, the Springboks lose the match, which presents a dark future for the World Cup, happening in a year right here in South Africa. Later on TV, sports commentator Johann says the Springboks have brought shame to their nation and that they do not deserve to wear green and gold. He may be just one man, but he is very influential among sports fans. To end the day on a bad note, Mandela gets a message from his daughter saying she is canceling her visit this weekend without explaining why the Springboks are being seen in such a bad light that a poor black boy refuses to accept the donation of a Springbox jersey because he will be beaten up if he wears it. The next day, the blackdominated South African Sports Council has a meeting where they decide the Springboks should lose the color, emblem and name.
Ignoring his secretary's warning of what this could do to his reputation, mandela decides to interrupt the council's meeting and offers a speech asking for support for the Springbox, which he backs up with his own experience in jail. He studied the white men that locked him up to know how to beat them, but now they are not enemies anymore. They are supposed to be a United Nations. If they take the rugby team away from them, the black people would be proving they are the savages they believe them to be. In the end, Mandela's proposition wins, thanks to just one vote difference.
How did Nelson Mandela survive 27 years in prison?
The crime rate is rising in the country and the coach and manager of the Springboks were axed. Francois is staying as a captain, though, which pleases Mandela. A few hours later at the office, Mandela receives his first paycheck and is shocked to see how high it is. So he decides to donate a third of it to charity, hoping other politicians will do the same. He also invites Francois over for tea to discuss the future of the Springbox.
Francois explains he leads by example, which Mandela agrees with, but he also points out the team needs some inspiration to perform at their best. When Francois leaves, he reaches the conclusion that Mandela is asking him to win the World Cup. Some time later, Mandela gets to see his daughter again, but she is mad at him for hiring the cops that forced the family out of the house when Mandela was in jail, and cuts the conversation short. Afterward, Mandela calls a sports expert to learn more about the rugby World Cup and hearing that the matches will be watched by billions, comes up with a plan to show the world the real South Africa. Meanwhile, the Springboks are training hard when the head of PR comes with a big announcement.
The team will be conducting coaching clinics and townships all over the country. The players hate the idea, but they have to obey because the order comes from Mandela himself and Francois as the captain supports the plan. The following day, the team is taken to one of the poorest towns in the area receiving the dose of reality they needed. The kids they will be coaching today only recognize Chester and receive them with cheers. But as hours pass, both the children and the players have lots of fun together.
Mandela death: How he survived 27 years in prison
At the end of the day, the team retires after leaving a sign with Mandela's slogan for this campaign one Team, One Country. This coaching session later appears on the news and Mandela shows it to his cabinet, explaining how it is worth 100 speeches. The Springboks begin flying on a plane with Chester's face on it, which is also part of the campaign. There already are more black supporters waiting for them at every airport and Johann calls himself cautiously optimistic. Mandela begins memorizing every player's name to greet them correctly and appears in Johann show to encourage the support of the national team.
The Springboks do their morning run on the streets to be seen by everyone, and Francois tries to convince his team to learn to sing the national anthem properly since they usually just mount the words. Unfortunately, the other players refuse. The day before the first World Cup match, mandela visits the Spring box and wishes everyone good luck. With a shake of hands and using the right names, Francois explains Chester is not there because he is injured and Mandela gives him a piece of paper where he wrote down invictus a poem that kept him inspired in jail. The next day, Mandela attends the match and celebrates as much as the rest of the public when the Springboks beat Australia.
Later in the evening, Mandela attends a fancy dinner party while the team celebrates in a bar. However, Francois reminds everyone that they still need to wake up at 06:00 a.m.. The following morning, Francois guides them through a new route to reach the port where the team takes a boat to visit Robin Island, where Mandela spent his 1st 18 years of jail. Francois gets to see Mandela's tiny cell and is impressed that the President could spend so many years there yet still be able to forgive those that locked him up. The next time the bodyguards go to pick up Mandela for his morning walk, they find him unconscious outside the house.
After 27 Years in Prison He Became President and Changed
The doctor says stress has finally taken a toll on him, meaning Mandela cannot attend the next match. But Chester does. And the Springboks defeat samoa. The following matches against France and the Springboks beat them under heavy rain, while Mandela conducts trade negotiations overseas. Now that the team has reached the finals, though, mandela makes sure his schedule is free so he does not miss it.
England loses the semifinals. Thus, the springbox opponent will be the fearsome All Blacks from New Zealand. The victories are having the effect Mandela wanted, and the whole nation is now cheering for the Springboks. The effect can be seen in the little gestures, too. Mandela's bodyguards have started to play rugby together with their frosty distrust left behind.
And when Francois gets tickets for his family, he includes one for the Black Maid. After requesting a report about the history of the All Blacks, mandela understands why they are so fearsome and begins thinking of ways to inspire the Springboks in a way as powerful as the All Blacks hawka. The morning before the final match, the Springboks go for their last run, and all the neighbors come out to show their support. The stadium is incredibly crowded with people of every color, including a boy that had turned down the jersey. Johann is there, too, talking about the team in a much more positive light.
Now. The bodyguards are extra cautious with their operation because of the big crowd, but they get scared when a plane begins flying dangerously close to the stadium. Fortunately, it is a false alarm. The plane is only flying low to show a good luck message from the President before safely going away. The gesture is a success among the public, who gets ready to receive the Springboks with a standing ovation.
In His Own Words: Nelson Mandela's Prison Years
Once again, Mandela enters the field to shake hands with both teams, but this time he has left neutrality behind and is wearing a green jersey. The match begins after the national anthem, which the Springboks are finally able to sing correctly. The All Blacks are incredibly tough opponents and easily get an advantage in points. But Francois adjusts the team's strategy accordingly, and soon the Springboks managed to reach a tie. The main match time runs out while the score is still 99, so 20 minutes of extra time are added.
Everyone is tired, but they still try their best, and five minutes before the end, the Springbox managed to turn the score in their favor. Then they spend the remaining time defending their side, which proves to be the right strategy. The referee finishes the match and declares the Springbox the new world champions. The entire nation celebrates this victory, and lots of people hug whoever is standing next to them, regardless of skin color. It is Mandela himself who gives fancroe as the enormous trophy, and they shake hands as they thank each other for what they have done for their country.
Afterward, Mandela's car is stuck in traffic because everyone is out in the streets celebrating. However, Mandela tells his driver not to find a different route because he wants to be part of such unity.
Conclusions
After 27 years in prison, Nelson Mandela was released on February 11th, 1990. He addressed a crowd of over 400,000 people and announced his intention to run for president in the upcoming election. His long imprisonment had taken its toll; he was 63 years old and had lost nearly half of his hair. Nevertheless, he ran a vigorous campaign and won by a wide margin against incumbent F.W. de Klerk. Mandela’s presidency was marked by change: he lifted restrictions on political speech and civil rights, negotiated an end to apartheid with the white minority government, and led South Africa into NATO and the World Trade Organization.