Nelson Mandela (1918-2013) was a South African activist, African nationalist, socialist democrat, and political leader. As a leading figure in the anti-apartheid movement, Mandela became South Africa’s President in 1994 after 27 years of imprisonment following the Rivonia Trial. He was the first Black head of state and the first person to be elected in a fully representative democratic election in South Africa. He also served as ANC President from 1991 to 1997. Mandela’s political and ideological influences are of major importance in understanding the views and strategies he articulates in No Easy Walk to Freedom. 

Born to a Thembu royal family in Transkei, Mandela’s early formal and informal education played a significant role in the development of his political outlook, particularly as it related to democracy, socialism, and resistance against oppression. In his early years, Mandela attended Methodist primary and secondary schools, where he studied English, Xhosa, history, geography, anthropology, politics, and law. It was during this time that his interest in African history and native African culture developed. In Chapter 14 and Chapter 15, he expresses that listening to elders from his tribe tell stories about precolonial African societies—particularly their resistance to colonial and imperialist imposition—fascinated him and inspired his commitment to fighting the apartheid regime.