作为首位黑人总统，曼德拉一生肩负的使命神圣而艰巨。20世纪90年代初的南非在白人政府的统治下，经历着一系列不幸的遭遇，如种族仇杀、社会动荡、贫穷落后等。出生在南非东南部小村庄的曼德拉，没有对这些社会问题熟视无睹，而是立志用一己之力改变祖国母亲的命运。曼德拉于2013年12月5日去世，享年95岁。他的梦想仍在延续。他不仅缔造了新南非，还铸就了坚忍不拔的“曼德拉精神”。
Mandela served more than 27 years in prison since 1962 because he put forward12 that “All men and women are created equal”. During the difficult years of his imprisonment（关押） in Robben Island prison（罗本岛监狱）， thanks to his own patience， humor and tolerance13， he seemed freer than the men who kept him in prison， locked up as they were in their own prejudices14. He never stopped studying in any kind of situation. Instead， he studied his master degree， learned drawing， and wrote books in prison. Indeed， his warders15 were among those who came to admire him most.
In 1994， Mandela was elected as the President of South Africa. Under his leadership， Africa finally realized its liberation（解放）. A new South Africa was set up with equality（平等）and freedom and it achieved a political and economic transition（过渡）peacefully， which was acknowledged16 as the miracle17 in development by the international society. South Africa changed successfully from a dirty， underdeveloped， and unimportant country to an equal “rainbow nation”where every one respects to each other no matter what color he is.
1962年，因提出“男人和女人生來平等”，曼德拉入狱，开始长达27年的牢狱生活。囚禁在罗本岛监狱的艰苦岁月里，他耐心、幽默、宽容，似乎比把他囚禁于此的人更加自由。仿佛锁在监狱里的不是他，而是充满偏见的对手。他在狱中坚持自学，攻读法律硕士学位，学习画画，撰写书籍。没错，就连看守们也对他无比敬佩。
1994年，曼德拉当选为南非总统。在他的领导下，非洲最终得到解放，建立了一个平等、自由的新南非，实现了政治、经济的平稳过渡，被国际社会公认为改革发展的奇迹。南非在他的打造和治理下，从一个肮脏、落后、毫无地位的国家变成一个不分肤色、人人平等、互相尊重的“彩虹之国”。
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rainbow nation：“彩虹之国”。曼德拉总统在上任的第一个月正式提到“彩虹之国”。他宣布：“我们每个人都无比珍视这个魅力国家的土壤，因为它孕育了比勒陀利亚著名的紫楹花树、布什维尔德的含羞草树。这将是一个自身与世界都和平的彩虹之国。”南非的国旗有红、绿、蓝、白、黑、黄6种不同的颜色，它是种族隔离悲剧之后象征希望的一座灯塔，也代表着更光明的未来和所有南非人的希望。