Nelson Mandela-Powerpoint Essay

1466 Words6 Pages
First slide I did my presentation on Nelson Mandela who, in my personal opinion is one of the greatest men to ever live. Second Slide To start things off, I would like to tell you all about the different names he is called because there are a lot of them and they are all important. • Rolihlahla – This is Mandela’s birth name: it is an isiXhosa name which means “pulling the branch of a tree”, but figuratively it means “troublemaker”. • Nelson – This name was given to him on his first day at school by his teacher, Miss Mdingane. Giving African children English names was a custom among Africans in those days and was influenced by British colonials who could not easily, and often would not, pronounce African names. • Madiba – This is the name of the clan of which Mandela is a member. A clan name is much more important than a surname because it refers to the ancestor from which a person is descended. Madiba was the name of a Thembu chief who ruled in the Transkei in the 18th century. It is considered very polite to use someone’s clan name. • Tata – This isiXhosa word means “father” and is a term of endearment that many South Africans use for Mandela. Since he is a father figure to many, they call him Tata regardless of their own age. Many people think of him as the father of South Africa. • Khulu – Mandela is often called “Khulu”, which means great, paramount, or grand. The speaker means “Great One” when referring to Mr Mandela in this way. It is also a shortened form of the isiXhosa word “uBawomkhulu” for “grandfather”. • Dalibhunga – This is the name Mandela was given at the age of 16 once he had undergone initiation, the traditional Xhosa rite of passage into manhood. It means “creator or founder of the council” or “convenor of the dialogue”. The correct use of this name when greeting Mr Mandela is “Aaah! Dalibhunga”

More about Nelson Mandela-Powerpoint Essay

Open Document