The Ripple Effects of Ministry

worker Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, whom he married in June 1958, although they
divorced in March 1996. Mandela married his third wife, Graça Machel, on his 80th
birthday in July 1998.
Reception and Legacy
Flowers left at the Mandela statue in
London's Parliament Square following his death
By the time of his death, within South Africa Mandela
was widely considered both "the father of the
nation" and "the founding father of
democracy". Outside of South Africa, he was a "global
icon", with the scholar of South African studies Rita
Barnard describing him as "one of the most revered
figures of our time". One biographer considered him "a
modern democratic hero", while his popularity resulted
in a cult of personality building up around him. Some
have portrayed Mandela in messianic terms, in
contrast to his own statement that "I was not a
messiah, but an ordinary man who had become a
leader because of extraordinary circumstances." He is
often cited alongside Mahatma Gandhi and Martin
Luther King, Jr. as one of the 20th century's exemplary
anti-racist and anti-colonial leaders. Boehmer described him as "a totem of the totemic
values of our age: toleration and liberal democracy" and "a universal symbol of social
justice".
Mandela's international fame had emerged during his incarceration in the 1980s, when
he became the world's most famous prisoner, a symbol of the anti-apartheid cause, and
an icon for millions who embraced the ideal of human equality. In 1986, Mandela's
biographer characterized him as "the embodiment of the struggle for liberation" in South
Africa. Meredith stated that in becoming "a potent symbol of resistance" to apartheid
during the 1980s, he had gained "mythical status" internationally. Sampson commented
that even during his life, this myth had become "so powerful that it blurs the realities",
converting Mandela into "a secular saint". Within a decade of the end of his Presidency,
Mandela's era was being widely thought of as "a golden age of hope and harmony", with
much nostalgia being expressed for it. His name was often invoked by those criticizing
his successors like Mbeki and Zuma. Across the world, Mandela earned international
acclaim for his activism in overcoming apartheid and fostering racial
reconciliation, coming to be viewed as "a moral authority" with a great "concern for
truth". Mandela's iconic status has been blamed for concealing the complexities of his
life.
Mandela generated controversy throughout his career as an activist and
politician, having detractors on both the right and the radical left. During the 1980s,
Mandela was widely labeled a terrorist by prominent political figures in the Western
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