"The End of Apartheid": Nelson Mandela Nobel Prize Speech

In the essay, "Nelson Mandela, the End of Apartheid", the main theme seems to be rebirth. Mandela is describing a new Africa, and a 'new dawn' in for its people. Its most powerful and gratifing idea is in his closing statement when he says, "Let the Efforts of us all prove that he was not a mere dreamer when he spoke of the beauty of genuine brotherhood and peace being more precoius than diamonds or silver or gold. Let a new age dawn!"(P.36-37 Pg.-633). This speech was after a groundbreaking politcal agreement between South African Deputy President F.W. de Klerk and Mandela, and this excerpt helps shed light onto how hopeful Africa and its leaders are for its future. Prevoiusly the country had endured a unique and painful experience that lacked democracy, peace, justice, prosperity, and good health care all while facing prejudice racial and sexually. These two leaders tackled the issues of Africa together rather than on different fronts, in order to preserve the inalienable rights that each group was infringing on. "Because of their courage and persistance for many years, we can, today, even set the dates when all humanity will join together to celebrate one of the outstanding human victories of our century" (IP-1, Pg. 630). This is a powerful step forward in African history,