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Nelson Mandela's Nobel Peace Prize Speech

"A Vision for a Democratic and Non-Racial Society in a United South Africa"

December 10, 1993

Your Majesties, Your Royal Highnesses, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I stand here before you not as a prophet, but as a humble servant of you, the people. Your tireless and heroic sacrifices have made it possible for me to be here today. I therefore place the Nobel Peace Prize, which I gratefully receive on behalf of all the combatants for freedom, peace and justice, in your hands. You have made me an instrument of your struggle. You have invested me with the hope and the mandate to articulate, together with the aspirations of our people, our vision of a democratic and non-racial society in a united South Africa.

We deeply appreciate the great honor bestowed upon us. We are acutely aware that this honor is not only an acknowledgment of our humble efforts, but a tribute to the genius and heroism of our people. It is your courageous determination, your abiding faith and your resilience which have brought us to this historic moment.

The Nobel Committee, in its wisdom, has recognized that our struggle is not simply for the eradication of racism, but for the creation of a democratic and just society. We have, over many years, called for the isolation of the apartheid regime. We have sought to make the apartheid regime a pariah in the world community. We have sought to make it clear that apartheid is a crime against humanity, a brutal system of exploitation and oppression. We have sought to ensure that a resolution of our conflict through negotiations would be based on a just and democratic constitution, which would provide for the full participation of all our people.