Unit 5 | Nelson Mandela—a modern hero

Nelson Mandela was an international figure, and many details of his life and career were public knowledge. But here are several things you may not have known about the late South African leader. ★His original name was not Nelson. Rolihlahla Mandela was nine years old when a teacher gave him an English name—Nelson—according to the custom to give all school children Christian names. This was common practice in South Africa and in other parts of the continent, where a person could often be given an English name that foreigners would find easier to pronounce.