The Mandela Effect

Throughline

NPR

Society & Culture, History, Documentary

4.7 • 15K Ratings

🗓️ 16 May 2024

⏱️ 58 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

For nearly thirty years, the South African government held a man it initially labeled prisoner number 46664, the anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela. But in 1994, Mandela transformed from the country's 'number one terrorist' into its first Black president, ushering in a new era of democracy. Today, though, many in South Africa see Mandela's party, the ANC, as corrupt and responsible for the country's problems. It's an ongoing political saga, with all sides attempting to weaponize parts of the past – especially Nelson Mandela's legacy. On today's episode, we tell Mandela's story: the man, the myth, and the cost of freedom.

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Transcript

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0:18.2	Learn more at plus.nPR.org. It happened on a Thursday.
0:26.8	on a Thursday.
0:28.8	Acting on a tip from an informant, the police raided a farm where an underground
0:37.1	militia was believed to be plotting a violent insurrection against the government.
0:41.6	19 people were arrested.
0:45.0	The accused deliberately and maliciously plotted and engineered the commission of acts of violence and destruction throughout the country.
1:02.0	Their combined operations were planned. and destruction throughout the country.
1:06.2	Their combined operations were planned to lead to confusion,
1:09.0	violent insurrection and rebellion.
1:13.6	The men were put on trial and the leader of the group already serving a short stint in prison on a separate charge
1:16.2	was considered to be the number one terrorist.
1:19.3	His own lawyers, they were looking
1:21.8	to get him off, or at the very least,
1:25.0	make sure he didn't get the death penalty.
1:27.5	And he was always concerned about generating
1:31.1	publicity for the struggle.
1:36.0	Day after day, the trial continued,
1:38.0	and with it, the number one terrorist
	...

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