Mandela was born in Qunu south africa in 1918 who was a statesman actively involved in the african national congress and the fight against apartheid the separation of black and white people was released from prison after 27 years in 1990, won the nobel peace prize shared with president de klerk became first decomcratically elected president of south africa in 1994 retired from politics in 2004, moved back to Qunu he was born ther