Barely gone, Mandela has already entered the great history of humanity.

The little South African boy who frolicked among the sheep and palm trees of his village quickly became a determined fighter for black rights in a country ruled by whites for more than 200 years... A victim of repression, Nelson Mandela was the world's longest-serving political prisoner before being elected president of South Africa in 1994.

It is now a universal symbol of courage, freedom and peace.