|picture from Wikipedia|
Nelson Mandela has been one of the most relevant leaders of the 20th century and probably the most significant African one.
He is one of the most important statesmen of the 20th century because of his struggle to replace the apartheid (=racist) regime of South Africa with a multi-racial democracy.
|Timeline from BBC News|
He is also called Madiba, his clan's name.
He was in prison for over 20 years because of his struggle against apartheid and soon afterwards he was elected the first black presidents of South Africa, a country with a majority of black population.