This document describes the lives and human rights activism of Nelson Mandela and Estela Barnes de Carlotto. Both faced discrimination and oppression in their home countries - Mandela against apartheid policies in South Africa, and Barnes de Carlotto after a military coup in Argentina resulted in the kidnapping of her daughter. They both worked through non-violent action and organization to fight for justice and basic rights. Mandela co-founded the African National Congress and was imprisoned for 18 years for his efforts before becoming South Africa's first black president. Barnes de Carlotto co-founded Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo to locate children stolen by the dictatorship and recovered over 100 grandchildren, continuing the search for others. Though from different

1. COMMON PEOPLE FIGHTING FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
Looking backwards in human history, one can find many people who, wanting to fight for their
own rights, ended battling for what is morally good and correct for a whole country. Born in different
nations, of different cultures and struggling for different reasons, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela and
Estela Barnes de Carlotto have demonstrated, through direct and non-violent action, that common
people can obtain welfare for themselves, for their contemporaries and for future generations.
The childhood and adolescence of these two people show parallels but also great differences.
Mandela was born in 1918 in a village in South Africa, and groomed to adopt high office as Chief after
his father’s death. He heard his elders’ stories about his ancestors’ braveness when fighting for their
fatherland and wanted to bestow freedom to his people. His primary education took place at a local
mission school and his secondary studies at a Wesleyan school of some repute in Healdtown. After that
he went to University and obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree, which he finished by correspondence
after being suspended for joining in a protest boycott. Estela Barnes, born in 1930, was the only child
in a lower-middle class home. She was a very good student; she liked theatre, reciting poems, singing,
and being the conciliator between their class mates every time they had differences. She went to the
Hermanas de la Misericordia Secondary School, a catholic institute administrated by very progressive
nuns and later she studied to be a teacher. Strong family traditions and religion as well as study, which
are similar at some points, but differ at some others, shaped both personalities.
Living in countries where an important part of the population was being deprived of their basic
rights, a turning point would take place in their lives. Mandela, together with a small group of young
Africans, become part of the African National Congress – ANC – and entered politics in order to
transform ANC in a mass movement for national emancipation, and the African National Congress
Youth League – ANCYL – was founded with the objective of attaining the redistribution of the land,
education, culture, trade union rights and representation in the Parliament for all South Africans.
“Mandela soon impressed his peers by his disciplined work and consistent effort and was
elected as the league’s National Secretary in 1948. By painstaking work, campaigning at
the grass-roots and through its mouthpiece Inyaniso (“Truth”) the ANCYL was able to
canvass support for its policies amongst the ANC membership.”1
On March 24th 1976, a coup d’etat took place in Argentina. The military regime conducted the country
under a policy of terror. 30.000 people, of all ages and social condition, were deprived of their freedom
and tortured, and about 500 children abducted with their parents or born in undisclosed detention
1
Biography. Memory for Justice -From Nelson Mandela Foundation Web site:
http://www.nelsonmandela.org/index.php/memory/views/biography/
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2. centres where the pregnant women were taken. Those children were treated as war booty and
appropriated by people to whom they considered their true parents although they have been authors or
abetters in their parents’ executions and stealers of their identities. One of those pregnant women was
Estela Barnes de Carlotto’s daughter – Laura Estela Carlotto – who was kidnapped for being a Peronist
activist university student. Her husband had also been missing during 25 days and released after the
payment of the ransom. Estela de Carlotto commenced a new life, seeking her missing daughter and
then her grandson, Guido. Laura’s body was delivered to her parents nine month after her
disappearance.
“Aquí nace otra Estela, una Estela hecha de la misma masa, pero que toma posiciones, que tiene
actitudes distintas”2
South African regime, signed by the domination of a white minority and a policy of rigid racial
segregation – apartheid – which was in force since colony times, as well as Argentina’s National
Reorganization Process, enforced by the military dictatorship which ruled the country between 1976
and 1983 would change their lives.
Fighting for a cause which affects a whole country requires organization and does not need to
use violent methods. As a Volunteer-in-Chief, Mandela travelled around his country to organize
resistance to discriminatory legislation and, for that reason, he was charged and taken to trail. In spite
of that, he was given a suspended prison sentence taking into account that he had adopted a non-violent
course of action, although he was prohibited from attending gatherings. In those days Mandela wrote
an admission examination to become an attorney and was admitted, nevertheless he was obliged to
move his office to the outskirts of the city, so that their clients could not go there during working hours.
At the same time, Mandela was asked to organize a plan to maintain dynamic interaction with the
members of ANC avoiding public meetings. He was the victim of repression in several occasions,
banned, pursued, sentenced to life imprisonment and offered release on the condition of renouncing his
position. Never did Mandela dispose his ideals:
“I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished
the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal
opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for
which I am prepared to die”. 3
Yet, in 1985, Mandela initiated a dialogue with the government. Regarding Estela de Carlotto, she
began to collaborate with the mothers of other missing young and joined the non-governmental
organization called Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo, which had been established with the purpose of fighting
2
Castory, G. Estela de Carlotto. Una abuela que no se rinde . Revista Umbrales. Retrieved Setiembre 2000 Nº
110. From Revista Umbrales Web site: http://www.chasque.net/umbrales/rev110/index.htm
3
Nelson Mandela. I am prepared to die. Nelson Mandela's statement from the dock at the opening of the defence
case in the Rivonia Trial Pretoria Supreme Court, 20 April 1964.. From ANC Org. Web site:
http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/history/rivonia.html
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3. for the return of their grandchildren. Although they did not know well what to do, or which strategy to
use, and being full of fears, they were sure they have to strive and do their best for that cause. Having
been a teacher, Estela de Carlotto began raising awareness of whom those ruling the country were in
fact, especially during Malvinas War. She was also persecuted, threatened, and her property – house
and car – shot in various occasions. Those grandmothers had to devise the means to meet without
calling the attention of those who wanted to silence them. They simulated birthday meetings in pubs
and cafés in Buenos Aires city, they sang, gave presents and smile while exchanging information,
which was compiled in a written summary of each of their missing relatives and estimated dates of
birth of the children born in captivity. They request for help to the local political parties, which did not
desire to get involved, and after that they appealed to international humanitarian aid, but again silence
was the only response, until the moment they resorted to the Organization of American States, which
acted on the claim requesting intervention to the Inter American Commission on Human Rights.
Almost without economic resources, about 40 travels were made until the time they achieved that the
allegations were considered "serious violations of the right to freedom, security and integrity of the
person and the right to protection against arbitrary detention."4 Once had that occurred, they began to
receive financial and organizational support from several agencies and institutions. So, Estela de
Carlotto’s methods were not only non-violent, but also by legal means.
“Creemos que el amor construye, el odio no, aún a riesgo de parecer tontas o débiles...”5
Madela and Barnes de Carlotto were consciously aware that they could not fight alone, so they
gathered other people to obtain the necessary strength to achieve their aims.
Both struggles were socially satisfactory and provided recognition to these two people, whose
efforts did not cease. In 1982, after 18 years in prison, Mandela was freed, and in 1994 he became the
first elected president of his country in a peaceful transition to democracy. During his government he
established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate human rights violations during
white domination and introduced changes such as housing, education and higher living standards for
black population. After retiring, he continued acting as adviser to the peace and social justice. He was
awarded the Nobel Peace Price for his action in South Africa. On the other hand, despite the fact that
Argentina regained democracy in 1983, it was still hard to open criminal investigations to identify the
identities of missing children as there were no scientific methods to determine parentage conclusively.
In view of that panorama, Estela de Carlotto and Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo recurred to the American
Society for the Advancement of Science of the United States, which result was creation of
grandparentage index. Using that, a complex system of investigation began to take place, they created a
4
Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos. Resolución Nº 31/78. Caso 2553. Argentina. CIDH, 18 de
noviembre de 1978. From CIDH Web site: http://www.nuncamas.org/document/cidh_caso2553.htm
5
Castory, G. Estela de Carlotto. Una abuela que no se rinde . Revista Umbrales. Retrieved Setiembre 2000 Nº
110. From Revista Umbrales Web site: http://www.chasque.net/umbrales/rev110/index.htm
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4. National Bank of Genetic Data and several members of the military junta were indicted and
condemned despite the military pressures and upheavals. Barnes de Carlotto was nominated for the
Nobel Peace Prize along with Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo for their efforts to locate and return the
identity of hundreds of missing children born in captivity who were deprived of their identity. By
February 2010, more than a hundred grandchildren had been recovered and they continue in search of
more missing people.
There was no evidence in the early lives of these two individuals to indicate the sacrifices,
efforts and struggles they would have to draw. They were ordinary people, living ordinary lives.
Circumstances, as well as other men actions, changed them. They probably never imagined for
themselves a life as the one they lived; nevertheless, what is certain is the good they accomplished for
themselves, for their families and for society as a whole. Everyone should have into account that one
can become a Mandela, or an Estela de Carlotto, and be prepared to do so. Many people believe that
they would not have the strength or the will to face this sort of things but, eventually, everyone is
internally trained, or can be trained, to defend his own rights. Were parents and educators able to make
their sons and daughters aware of this, deprivation of rights would not be allowed so easily in the
future.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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5. • Biography. Memory for Justice -From Nelson Mandela Foundation Web site:
http://www.nelsonmandela.org/index.php/memory/views/biography/
• Castory, G. Estela de Carlotto. Una abuela que no se rinde . Revista Umbrales. Retrieved
Setiembre 2000 Nº 110. From Revista Umbrales Web site:
http://www.chasque.net/umbrales/rev110/index.htm
• Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos. Resolución Nº 31/78. Caso 2553. Argentina.
CIDH, 18 de noviembre de 1978. From CIDH Web site:
http://www.nuncamas.org/document/cidh_caso2553.htm
• Nelson Mandela. I am prepared to die. Nelson Mandela's statement from the dock at the
opening of the defence case in the Rivonia Trial Pretoria Supreme Court, 20 April 1964. From
ANC Org. Web site: http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/history/rivonia.html
REFERENCES
• Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo. History of Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo. Children Who
Disappeared or Who Were Born in Captivity. From Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo Web site
in English: http://www.abuelas.org.ar/english/history.htm
• Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo. La Historia de Abuelas, 30 años de búsqueda. Octubre, 2007.
ISBN 978-987-23866-2-7. 2007. From Abuelas Org. Web site: http://www.abuelas.org.ar/
areas.php?area=bibliografia.php&der1=der1_mat.php&der2=der2_mat.php
• MLA style. Nelson Mandela - Biography. Nobelprize.org. 3 Jul 2010. From Nobel Prize
Org. Web site: http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1993/mandela-bio.html
• Nelson Mandela Biography. Retrieved 06:32, Jul 2 2010. From Biography Web site:
http://www.biography.com/articles/Nelson-Mandela-9397017
• Nelson Mandela Foundation. Biography. From Nelson Mandela .Org Web site:
http://www.nelsonmandela.org/index.php
• Tenewicki, I. Y Abramowski, A. La larga lucha contra el silencio. (Entrevista a Estela
Barnes de Carlotto). El Monitor. Nº 6. From Ministerio de Educación. Presidencia de la
Nación Web site: http://www.me.gov.ar/monitor/nro6/entrevista.htm
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