Nelson Mandela, 1918-2013

As we remember the iconic freedom fighter's life and legacy, we're also taking a look back at where it started. Watch one of his first recorded interviews from 1961.

By Aura Bogado, Jamilah King Dec 05, 2013

Nelson Mandela passed away surrounded by his family in his home in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Thursday. He was 95. Mandela spent 20 years as a political prisoner on Robben Island–imprisoned there for fighting against apartheid. He would spend a total of 27 years imprisoned for his beliefs. Mandela remains an international icon for freedom and racial justice.  

Mourning the loss, TransAfrica posted:  

To Mandela, attaining a free and justice South Africa did not mean taking over power and forgetting the poor and disenfranchised.  Both during his time in office and out, Mandela worked tirelessly to resolve conflicts within the African continent.  Throughout his life, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela embodied the sentiment "another world is possible" and this was most eloquently illustrated with his statement at the Rivonia Trial in April 1964:  

 "During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people, I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if it needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."

Watch this 1961 interview of Mandela, then 42 years old.