Nelson Mandela was a former president of South Africa who served from 1994-1999. He was born in 1918 in South Africa and dedicated his life to fighting apartheid policies and advocating for human rights and democracy in South Africa through his involvement with the African National Congress party. Mandela spent many years in prison for his activism before becoming the first black president of South Africa in the post-apartheid era, where he worked to promote reconciliation between racial groups.