Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela, left, and his wife Winnie, raise clenched fists as they walk hand-in-hand from the Victor Verster prison near Cape Town, South Africa on Feb. 11, 1990.

‘Winnie and Nelson’: A new book explores a fraught political partnership

Author Jonny Steinberg’s new book, “Winnie and Nelson: Portrait of a Marriage,” explores the complex relationship between Nelson Mandela and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, two of the world’s best-known freedom fighters. Steinberg joined The World’s host Marco Werman to discuss the fraught political partnership of these iconic revolutionaries.

Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and Chair of The Elders, speaks to journalists at the COP27 UN Climate Summit, Nov. 12, 2022.

Ireland’s Mary Robinson says being an ‘Elder’ is about teaching the next generation, but also listening to them

Leaders
ANC members celebrate after Cyril Ramaphosa was elected president of the ANC in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Young South Africans once worshipped the ANC. Now ‘the party of Mandela’ is tarnished.

Global Politics
Nelson Mandela

Ever thought someone who died was already dead? Science can explain that.

Culture
On April 9th in Pretoria, South African Afrikaner singer Sunette Bridges chained herself to the statue of former Boer leader Paul Kruger, known as the father of the Afrikaner nation, to protest against calls for its removal. The statue was covered in gree

South Africa’s most famous cartoonist considers what to do with statues of white oppressors

Global Politics
Nelson Mandela's former private assistant Zelda la Grange. Her memoir traces the 43-year-old's upbringing in an Afrikaans family that considered Mandela a terrorist to her improbable appointment to his office when he became president in 1994, and her clos

Here’s how a young white woman went from loving apartheid to being in Mandela’s inner circle

Global Politics

When Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990, Zelda la Grange had no idea who he was. In her Afrikaaner family, he was simply a “terrorist.” She was in her twenties and would soon become Mandela’s personal assistant, and later, a close friend.When Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990, Zelda la Grange had no idea who he was. In her Afrikaaner family, he was simply a “terrorist.” She was in her twenties and would soon become Mandela’s personal assistant, and later, a close friend.

Anansy Cissé: Mali Overdrive and Free Download of “Aïgouna”

Anansy Cissé is one of Bamako’s hottest young guitar talents. So we’re very happy to be able to give out a free download of “Aïgouna,” one of the highlights of his new record Mali Overdrive.  Cissé started his career behind … Read more »

Thabang Senekal during a performance of "Madiba: The African Opera" at South Africa's State Theatre in Pretoria on May 22, 2014.  The opera focuses on Nelson Mandela's  upbringing in the rural town of Qunu on the Eastern Cape and how and why he left that

What’s it like to portray Nelson Mandela in an opera? Amazing!

If you’re in Pretoria, South Africa, one show you won’t be able to see is a new opera about Nelson Mandela. That’s because the show, “Madiba: The African Opera,” was cancelled after just three nights because of a lack of funding. The opera depicts Nelson Mandela’s early years in his native home of Qunu, on South Africa’s Eastern Cape. Thabang Senekal is the well-known South African baritone who played Mandela in the production. He describes what it’s like to play Mandela on stage.

Thabang Senekal during a performance of "Madiba: The African Opera" at South Africa's State Theatre in Pretoria on May 22, 2014.  The opera focuses on Nelson Mandela's  upbringing in the rural town of Qunu on the Eastern Cape and how and why he left that

What’s it like to portray Nelson Mandela in an opera? Amazing!

If you’re in Pretoria, South Africa, one show you won’t be able to see is a new opera about Nelson Mandela. That’s because the show, “Madiba: The African Opera,” was cancelled after just three nights because of a lack of funding. The opera depicts Nelson Mandela’s early years in his native home of Qunu, on South Africa’s Eastern Cape. Thabang Senekal is the well-known South African baritone who played Mandela in the production. He describes what it’s like to play Mandela on stage.

Nelson Mandela, as a young man, before he gave his famous Rivonia speech

Why hearing Mandela’s Rivonia speech is so powerful. It’s not just the words, it’s the sounds behind them

Conflict & Justice

South Africa kept recordings of Nelson Mandela’s famous Rivonia speech. But no one could hear them because they were on dictabelts. And then South Africa’s last remaining dictaphone machine broke.