What do you think?
Rate this book
... I am prepared to die
Nell'ottobre del 1963, Nelson Mandela viene accusato di alto tradimento e terrorismo dalla corte di giustizia sudafricana. La sua unica colpa è quella di essersi battuto contro il disumano e terribile regime dell'apartheid che schiavizza la popolazione nera del paese. Ma nel corso del durissimo processo di Rivonia, Mandela sfida i suoi accusatori e la pena di morte con lo straordinario discorso che dà il titolo a questo libro, dichiarandosi pronto a morire pur di continuare la sua battaglia per la pace e l'uguaglianza. L'anno successivo viene condannato all'ergastolo ma la sua lotta non si dopo ventisei anni di carcere durissimo, nel giorno della sua liberazione, davanti a una folla festante, Mandela ripeterà le stesse identiche frasi pronunciate nell'aula di tribunale. Sarà l'inizio di un nuovo viaggio che lo porterà a divenire il primo presidente democraticamente eletto della Repubblica Sudafricana. "Un ideale per cui sono pronto a morire" ci consente di rivivere la storia di quei momenti in presa diretta attraverso le parole alte e coraggiose di uno dei grandi eroi civili del nostro tempo.
24 pages, Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1970
4 people are currently reading
231 people want to read
About the author
Nelson Mandela
259 books2,327 followersNelson Rolihlahla Mandela was a former President of South Africa, the first to be elected in a fully representative democratic election, who held office from 1994–99.
Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of the African National Congress's armed wing Umkhonto we Sizwe. The South African courts convicted him on charges of sabotage, as well as other crimes committed while he led the movement against apartheid. In accordance with his conviction, Mandela served 27 years in prison, spending many of these years on Robben Island.
In South Africa he is often known as Madiba, an honorary title adopted by elders of Mandela's clan. The title has come to be synonymous with Nelson Mandela.
Following his release from prison on 11 February 1990, Mandela supported reconciliation and negotiation, and helped lead the transition towards multi-racial democracy in South Africa. Since the end of apartheid, many have frequently praised Mandela, including former opponents. Mandela has received more than one hundred awards over four decades, most notably the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/nelson...
Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of the African National Congress's armed wing Umkhonto we Sizwe. The South African courts convicted him on charges of sabotage, as well as other crimes committed while he led the movement against apartheid. In accordance with his conviction, Mandela served 27 years in prison, spending many of these years on Robben Island.
In South Africa he is often known as Madiba, an honorary title adopted by elders of Mandela's clan. The title has come to be synonymous with Nelson Mandela.
Following his release from prison on 11 February 1990, Mandela supported reconciliation and negotiation, and helped lead the transition towards multi-racial democracy in South Africa. Since the end of apartheid, many have frequently praised Mandela, including former opponents. Mandela has received more than one hundred awards over four decades, most notably the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/nelson...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 2, 2016
One of the most inspiring speeches ever penned and spoken. I consider this a must-read and every bit as important as ML King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. It is available free on the internet. It is long, but it is brilliantly argued, factually solid and absorbing. Contemplating this kind of courage is humbling.
April 29, 2024
I’m counting uni assignments in my reading goal I don’t even care.
Read
May 21, 2024ידעתי שזה יהיה רלוונטי לארץ, אבל לא תיארתי לעצמי עד כמה
October 24, 2025
A quick read about the strife Mandela recollects while on trial.
Read
November 23, 2022If Mr. Mandela's words are to be trusted, two major conservative myths about his life and work are dispelled by the information contained in this three-hour speech. What I will state below would seem to be true relative to what happened until 1964, the year in which the speech was delivered. I am yet to learn what happened afterward.
The first revelation: at least up to this point, he was not involved in unnecessary violence. The African National Congress (ANC) spearheded the anti-racist movement in South Africa since its inception in 1912 with characteristic diplomacy and pacific protest. This remained to be the case after the formal apartheid began in 1948. Mandela's Defiance Campaign informed participants to be strictly pacific, and so it was from 1952 to 1960, reflecting his Gandhian understanding that this form of civil disobedience is he most effective. It was not. The apartheid intensified and the South African regime violently repressed and progressively criminalized any possible form of pacific protest, leading to great civil unrest.
The country faced the Scylla of permanent black marginalization and the Charybdis of civil war. Only competent leadership could channel civil unrest into effective violent protest without going overboard. It was this—pragmatic necessity—that lead to the formation of uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), a military group composed by ANC members. Its acts up until 1964 consisted mostly of sabotage actions that harmed little to no civilians; MK was also undergoing some training for guerilla warfare which it would engage in as a last resort. I remain to see what happened after 1964.
The second revelation: Mandela was no communist. He had in fact read much Marxist, Leninist, and Maoist literature, with which he sympathized. He and his movement also continually cooperated with South African communists. Finally, ANC and MK would accept any help it could from African and international communist organizations. However, ANC's statute—the Freedom Charter—as well as Mandela's own words made it clear that a free-market, parliamentary, multi-ethnic democracy was what the movement envisioned. Communism became a temporary ally due to their common short-term goal; they also collaborated with freedom struggles in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Algeria, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Egypt, and so many other places. Worldwide, communist had been greatly supportive of anti-racialist and anti-colonialist movements, a virtue sadly absent from the history of liberalism in the 20th century.
All in all, as it seems, the Xhosa lawyer Nelson Mandela was widely read in contemporary history, stunningly strategic, extraordinarily brave, and had a rare capacity for leadership.
The first revelation: at least up to this point, he was not involved in unnecessary violence. The African National Congress (ANC) spearheded the anti-racist movement in South Africa since its inception in 1912 with characteristic diplomacy and pacific protest. This remained to be the case after the formal apartheid began in 1948. Mandela's Defiance Campaign informed participants to be strictly pacific, and so it was from 1952 to 1960, reflecting his Gandhian understanding that this form of civil disobedience is he most effective. It was not. The apartheid intensified and the South African regime violently repressed and progressively criminalized any possible form of pacific protest, leading to great civil unrest.
The country faced the Scylla of permanent black marginalization and the Charybdis of civil war. Only competent leadership could channel civil unrest into effective violent protest without going overboard. It was this—pragmatic necessity—that lead to the formation of uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), a military group composed by ANC members. Its acts up until 1964 consisted mostly of sabotage actions that harmed little to no civilians; MK was also undergoing some training for guerilla warfare which it would engage in as a last resort. I remain to see what happened after 1964.
The second revelation: Mandela was no communist. He had in fact read much Marxist, Leninist, and Maoist literature, with which he sympathized. He and his movement also continually cooperated with South African communists. Finally, ANC and MK would accept any help it could from African and international communist organizations. However, ANC's statute—the Freedom Charter—as well as Mandela's own words made it clear that a free-market, parliamentary, multi-ethnic democracy was what the movement envisioned. Communism became a temporary ally due to their common short-term goal; they also collaborated with freedom struggles in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Algeria, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Egypt, and so many other places. Worldwide, communist had been greatly supportive of anti-racialist and anti-colonialist movements, a virtue sadly absent from the history of liberalism in the 20th century.
All in all, as it seems, the Xhosa lawyer Nelson Mandela was widely read in contemporary history, stunningly strategic, extraordinarily brave, and had a rare capacity for leadership.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews