The document discusses apartheid in South Africa and Nelson Mandela's role in fighting it. Under apartheid, the black majority was oppressed by the white minority through racist laws and policies. Nelson Mandela co-founded the African National Congress political party and was imprisoned for 27 years for his anti-apartheid efforts. He learned many languages and studied while in prison. Mandela was eventually released in 1990 amid growing domestic and international pressure, and became president in South Africa's first democratic election in 1994, coming to symbolize the triumph over apartheid.