Listen&Learn: Nelson Mandela

Learn about the activist who became president of South Africa

Pre-listening vocabulary

• activist: someone who works toward political or social change
• apartheid: the South African system of racial segregation
• liberate: to free someone
• oppression: cruel and unfair acts of people in power
• pardon: to end a criminal punishment
• negotiate: to discuss and compromise about a goal
• suffrage: the right to vote in elections

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:29 — 1.4MB)

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Gapfill exercise

Nelson Mandela was a South African activist, lawyer, and politician. He was born in the Mvezo in 1918. His original name was Rolihlahla, which means “troublemaker” in Xhosa. Mandela studied law in , and later joined the African National Congress, a political group that aimed to end apartheid and liberate Black Africans from oppression. In 1962, Mandela was for his acts of resistance against the South African government. He received a life sentence in 1964 and spent 27 years in . After being pardoned in 1990, Mandela began to meet with members of the government to negotiate suffrage for Black South Africans. Four years later, he became the country’s first Black . He died in 2013, at age 95.

Comprehension questions

See answers below

1. Mandela’s birth name means
   a. leader
   b. creator
   c. troublemaker
   
2. In university, Mandela studied
   a. law
   b. political science
   c. history
   
3. In 1990,
   a. Mandela was arrested for his activism
   b. Mandela was pardoned and released from prison
   c. Mandela was elected South Africa’s first Black president

Discussion/essay questions

1. Nelson Mandela is often remembered as a non-violent activist. However, he also took part in some armed resistance against the government. What do you think about violence and non-violence? Is force ever necessary to resist injustice? Why or why not?

Transcript

Nelson Mandela was a South African activist, lawyer, and politician. He was born in the Mvezo village in 1918. His original name was Rolihlahla, which means “troublemaker” in Xhosa. Mandela studied law in university, and later joined the African National Congress, a political group that aimed to end apartheid and liberate Black Africans from oppression. In 1962, Mandela was arrested for his acts of resistance against the South African government. He received a life sentence in 1964 and spent 27 years in prison. After being pardoned in 1990, Mandela began to meet with members of the government to negotiate suffrage for Black South Africans. Four years later, he became the country’s first Black president. He died in 2013, at age 95.

Answers to comprehension questions

1c 2a 3b