Nelson Mandela by Olivia Mokomoko.

Nelson Mandela is an inspiration to all, he is man who basically rewrote South African history.

To me, a tangata rongonui is a person who shows perseverance, inspires others, and is passionate about what he or she believes in.. A tangata rongonui is someone who never ever gives up, no matter what hurdles he or she has to overtake. The attributes that my ideal tangata rongonui should have are passion, inspiration and perseverance. That’s exactly why Nelson Mandela is my Tangata Rongonui.

Nelson was a man who changed his country, and also the world, through persuasion, fighting, and many protests.. In my mind, although Nelson made mistakes, he is my definition of a tangata rongonui, He was willing to die for his cause, to give all African people equal rights.

Nelson Mandela was born a free, simple man, but later realised no African person is free, that was until he changed Africa. 

He was born, and raised in a small village in south Africa, the son of the villages’ chief. This allowed Nelson many “perks” in life, like the best education that an African person could get at that time. Although he was offered the rare chance to go to university, when he was threatened with an arranged marriage, he and a friend escaped to Johannesburg to help fight for other African people against Europeans. 

It was there that he started to realise he had to change apartheid. He began  protests and was later sent to prison on an island that was protected and concealed from the rest of the world. Although he was sentenced to jail for life. He was there for 27 long hard years..  He came out an old man, but his spirt was stronger, and he had fire in his belly 

When Nelson came out of prison the government abolished apartheid, and this allowed African people to vote. They all voted for Nelson Mandela. He was the very first black president in African history, he was extremely successful, and even after being president for five years, he never stopped inspiring others. He died on the 5th on December, 2013, at the age of 95.

Nelson is an exceptional tangata rongonui, because if he hadn’t gone to prison, and fought for the African people, they would still probably have apartheid. Although I’m not African I still understand the importance of how Nelson changed and helped the world become a better place!

Nelson Mandela by Natalya Kohere

Nelson Mandela

In Te Reo Pakeha we are learning about Tangata Rongonui, to me a Tangata Rongonui is a role model (someone who you look up to), someone who is passionate and also someone who shows perseverance. Nelson Mandela was one of them. He was a man who stopped apartheid, an apartheid is a political social system in south Africa that meant white people were separated from black people it was a racism system created by the whites. Nelson Mandela lived in a village in south Africa with his family, when he was 7 years old his father, Henry Mandela died, Nelson Mandela was sent to wesley mission school to get the best education that black people could get. Nelson Mandela became a lawyer. From there he became very rich. Soon Nelson Mandela became very annoyed about the apartheid and soon went against it Nelson said 'ALL WE WANT IS EQUAL RIGHTS AND PEACE' but the whites did not agree. The blacks got furious. The blacks wanted war 'WAR, WAR, WAR' they chanted. But still Nelson said 'PEACE! ALL I WANT IS PEACE.' 'GIVE ME PEACE!' The black didn't listen they started WAR! soon the streets were the blacks lived were full of anger. The blacks even went against each other. In 1990 Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life in prisoned he was in prison for 27 years when he got out he had seen how much blacks had achieved while he was in jail although most blacks said 'WAR!' still Nelson said 'PEACE', not long after that Nelson Mandela was made president of South Africa and from that day the Apartheid stopped, blacks had equal rights and their was 'PEACE.' In 2013 Nelson Mandela died many people were at his funeral. And many people also proposed a speech about him that goes '

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"An Ordinary Man"

In the end he died an ordinary man
Only rich in wrinkles from where the spirit had been
It would be the saddest days
And we watched the world weep
For a giant bigger than myths
A life owned by many
Now free as the gods

Some cried as though tomorrow was lost
Some celebrated, questioned freedom and its cost
Some seized the chance to stand on his shoulders
While others cursed his grave and scorned wisdom of the elders

Stadiums were littered
And those in the know spoke their fill
Mourners paid tribute
Monarch to President made the bill
But still
Where do I we begin 
In telling our children where these old bones have been
And that we as next of kin
Have inherited his struggle
And he forever lives through our skin

And on his last day
When the earth reclaims what's hers
We will surrender his body but reignite his spirit
We will write all we know and let history read it to our children
And remind both scholar and critic
That there once was a prisoner of freedom
Who gave the world back its heart
But in the end
He died an ordinary man.'