作為首位黑人總統(tǒng)，曼德拉一生肩負的使命神圣而艱巨。20世紀90年代初的南非在白人政府的統(tǒng)治下，經(jīng)歷著一系列不幸的遭遇，如種族仇殺、社會動蕩、貧窮落后等。出生在南非東南部小村莊的曼德拉，沒有對這些社會問題熟視無睹，而是立志用一己之力改變祖國母親的命運。曼德拉于2013年12月5日去世，享年95歲。他的夢想仍在延續(xù)。他不僅締造了新南非，還鑄就了堅忍不拔的“曼德拉精神”。

Mandela served more than 27 years in prison since 1962 because he put forward12 that “All men and women are created equal”. During the difficult years of his imprisonment（關(guān)押） in Robben Island prison（羅本島監(jiān)獄）， thanks to his own patience， humor and tolerance13， he seemed freer than the men who kept him in prison， locked up as they were in their own prejudices14. He never stopped studying in any kind of situation. Instead， he studied his master degree， learned drawing， and wrote books in prison. Indeed， his warders15 were among those who came to admire him most.

In 1994， Mandela was elected as the President of South Africa. Under his leadership， Africa finally realized its liberation（解放）. A new South Africa was set up with equality（平等）and freedom and it achieved a political and economic transition（過渡）peacefully， which was acknowledged16 as the miracle17 in development by the international society. South Africa changed successfully from a dirty， underdeveloped， and unimportant country to an equal “rainbow nation”where every one respects to each other no matter what color he is.

1962年，因提出“男人和女人生來平等”，曼德拉入獄，開始長達27年的牢獄生活。囚禁在羅本島監(jiān)獄的艱苦歲月里，他耐心、幽默、寬容，似乎比把他囚禁于此的人更加自由。仿佛鎖在監(jiān)獄里的不是他，而是充滿偏見的對手。他在獄中堅持自學，攻讀法律碩士學位，學習畫畫，撰寫書籍。沒錯，就連看守們也對他無比敬佩。

1994年，曼德拉當選為南非總統(tǒng)。在他的領(lǐng)導下，非洲最終得到解放，建立了一個平等、自由的新南非，實現(xiàn)了政治、經(jīng)濟的平穩(wěn)過渡，被國際社會公認為改革發(fā)展的奇跡。南非在他的打造和治理下，從一個骯臟、落后、毫無地位的國家變成一個不分膚色、人人平等、互相尊重的“彩虹之國”。

Tip

rainbow nation：“彩虹之國”。曼德拉總統(tǒng)在上任的第一個月正式提到“彩虹之國”。他宣布：“我們每個人都無比珍視這個魅力國家的土壤，因為它孕育了比勒陀利亞著名的紫楹花樹、布什維爾德的含羞草樹。這將是一個自身與世界都和平的彩虹之國?！蹦戏堑膰煊屑t、綠、藍、白、黑、黃6種不同的顏色，它是種族隔離悲劇之后象征希望的一座燈塔，也代表著更光明的未來和所有南非人的希望。