The day he was released from jail, Nelson Mandela made the following speech in Cape Town, South Africa on February 11, 1990. The transcript of that speech appeared in the New York Times the next day. ...On this day of my release, I extend my sincere and warmest gratitude to the millions of my compatriots and those in every corner of the globe who have campaigned tirelessly for my release. I extend special greetings to the people of Cape Town, the city which has been my home for three decades. Your mass marches and other forms of struggle have served as a constant source of strength to all political prisoners. I salute the African National Congress. It has fulfilled our every expectation in its role as leader of the great march to freedom....I salute the rank-and-file members of the A.N.C. You have sacrificed life and limb in the pursuit of the noble cause of our struggle.
Leader's Salutations I salute combatants of Umkonto We Sizwe [Spear of the Nation], like Solomon Malhangu and Ashley Kriel, who have paid the ultimate price for the freedom of all South Africans.... I also salute the Black Sash and the National Union of South African Students. We note with pride that you have acted as the conscience of white South Africans... Need for Armed Struggle ...Today the majority of South Africans, black and white, recognize that apartheid has no future. It has to be ended by our own decisive mass actions in order to build peace and security. The mass campaigns of defiance and other actions of our organizations and people can only culminate in the establishment of democracy. The apartheid destruction on our subcontinent is incalculable. The fabric of family life of millions of my people has been shattered. Millions are homeless and unemployed.... Universal suffrage on a common voters roll in a united democratic and nonracial South Africa is the only way to peace and racial harmony. In conclusion, I wish to go to my own words during my trial in 1964. They are as true today as they were then. I wrote: I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die. [The following portion was delivered in Xhosa. The translation was provided by Mbulelo Mzamane, a professor of Comparative Literature at the University of Georgia.] My friends, I have no words of eloquence to offer today except to say that the remaining days of my life are in your hands. [He continued in English.] I hope you will disperse with discipline. And not a single one of you should do anything which will make other people to say that we can't control our own people. Source: Nelson Mandela, SOUTH AFRICA'S NEW ERA; Transcript of Mandela's Speech at Cape Town City Hall: 'Africa It Is Ours!, New York Times published February 12, 1990. Answer the questions below based on information you can gather from the source, and your knowledge of social studies. Who (is the speaker, who do they speak for): What (is happening in the source/is the intent of the actions): Where (is this happening): When (is this happening/historical context): Why (does this figure need to say these things, what led up to the circumstances): Possible Enduring Issues:
Who: The speaker is Nelson Mandela, who is speaking on the day of his release from jail in Cape Town, South Africa.
What: Mandela is expressing gratitude to those who campaigned for his release, saluting various organizations and individuals involved in the struggle against apartheid, and calling for mass actions to end apartheid and establish democracy in South Africa.
Where: The speech is given in Cape Town, South Africa.
When: The speech was given on February 11, 1990, during a time when apartheid was still in place in South Africa but there was increasing pressure for change.
Why: Mandela needs to say these things to show gratitude, unity, and determination in the struggle against apartheid, as well as to call for continued efforts towards democracy and racial harmony in South Africa.
Possible Enduring Issues: Struggle for human rights, oppression and resistance, power and authority, global interdependence.