Tracing the footsteps of Nelson Mandela 100 years after his birth

QUNU, South Africa – July 18 marks the 100th anniversary of Nelson Mandela.

Visitors can follow in Mandela's footsteps from the villages where he was born and raised, up to the township of Soweto where he became an anti-apartheid leader, up to Robben Island where he has been imprisoned for years. Eastern Cape

"When Mandela was only a child, he traveled for miles on this road, moving from one village to the other," said the tour guide Velile Ndlumbini as we crossed the picturesque green hills of the Eastern Cape. [19659006] The farm where he was born can be seen in the small village of Mvezo. He lived here until the age of 2, when his father lost his village chief position in an argument with a magistrate.

The family then moved to the nearby town of Qunu, where Mandela lived until the age of 9, at the time of his father's death. He and his mother then traveled 19 kilometers (12 miles) to Mqhekezweni.

Here he was adopted by the Acting Regent King and has proven himself for leadership. Mandela wrote in his autobiography, "Long Walk to Freedom," that his interest in politics was first stoked by listening to tribal elders holding community meetings in Mqhekezweni. A shady place under a circle of gum trees, says Ndlumbini, is still used for this purpose.

It is in Qunu that Mandela returned after 27 years in prison. He built a complex along the N2 road for his family, where some still live, and he returned to Qunu after being removed from public life.

Dusty roads lead to his private grave in front of his family's burial place. 19659003] Qunu is also home to the Nelson Mandela Museum, which opened on February 11, 2000, the 10th anniversary of his release from prison. He takes visitors from his childhood through his involvement in politics to his triumphant election as president.

About 200 kilometers (125 miles) south is the Steve Biko Museum in the city of King William. Biko was an icon of anti-apartheid activism, an African nationalist and a leader of the Black Consciousness Movement. He had a major influence on Mandela and died in 1977 after being arrested and beaten.

In nearby Mandela Bay in Port Elizabeth, a facility called Route 67 features 67 works symbolizing Mandela's 67 years of service. Art, represented by locals, represents important moments from the journey of apartheid to democracy, from laser-cut steel forming a voting line to the country's first democratic elections in 1994 to a staircase that begins in the darkness and progresses

Soweto

Created in the 1930s by the white government to relocate the black population of Johannesburg, Soweto became the largest black city in South Africa. Poverty was rampant in slums and civil unrest was common during apartheid

Mandela lived in Soweto from 1946 to 1962 and met there with the activist of the African National Congress Walter Sisulu

. Mandela's house in Soweto has also been transformed into a museum. But the most exhaustive and heartbreaking site is the museum of apartheid. The entrance is divided into "white / white" and "non-white / non-white", followed by a "laissez-pbader" display that the black population was to wear, limiting their movements. The museum details the history of white settlers in South Africa, the beginnings of apartheid, and the daily struggles of blacks, as well as the story of how Mandela transformed the African National Congress into one. a mbad political movement

the history of the Soweto riots in 1976. Hector was 12 years old when he was shot dead by police who fired on student demonstrators. A famous photo shows her soft body worn while her sister was running beside. Some accounts say that hundreds have died during the protests. The museum contains a moving and touching collection of oral testimonials, large-scale photos, audio-visual posters and historical records of the uprising.

A road to the north takes you to Liliesleaf, in the suburbs of Rivonia. This farm became a museum, which once belonged to Arthur Goldreich, a member of the South African Communist Party, was used in the 1960s as a secret hiding place for Mandela and other activists fleeing the police. The famous Rivonia trial is over with Mandela and his comrades sentenced to life imprisonment on Robben Island.

Robben Island

At 45 minutes from Cape Town, Robben Island is where Mandela spent 18 years of his 27 years. prison, from 1964, alongside other heroes of the movement as Sisulu and Govan Mbeki.

The most powerful part of the tour, led by a former prisoner, is a visit to Mandela's cell, a 7 feet by 9 feet. (2 meters by 2.7 meters). Despite the humiliation and oppression of his years here, it is also there that he has honed his skills as a leader, negotiator and proselyte, which has put him on the way to the presidency in 1994.

Madiba's Journey

a pilgrimage to places related to Mandela's life is both scary and edifying. Although South Africa has come a long way, this young democracy still has a lot of work to do, including improving the living conditions and resources for its majority black population.

A mobile app, Madiba's Journey Mandela Foundation, can help you trace the footsteps of the man who has dedicated his life to freedom.