Nelson Mandela In The Movie Invictus History Essay The story centres around events before and during the 1995 Rugby World Cup, hosted in South Africa shortly after the fall of apartheid with the release of Nelson Mandela from prison in 1990 after being held on Robben Island as a political prisoner for nearly 26 years. As the new elected President, Mandela pledged to unite the people of South Africa which is currently divided into two groups: the Afrikaners (white South Africans that came from Europe during the 17th century) and the black natives. The movie basically shows President Mandela's attempt to unite both groups in supporting the country's rugby team, the Springboks (rugby was traditionally a white sport) and steering the team as it made a historic drive towards winning the 1995 Rugby World Cup Championship. Despite all odds and initial resistance, the black natives of South Africa soon began to show interest in the Springboks. As the team wins more and more games, they continue to receive rising support from both the Afrikaners and the black natives. The team achieved unexpected success in the 1995 Rugby World Cup final, defeating the strongest opponent in the tournament, New Zealand, which brought cheer not only to the Afrikaners but also to the black natives all over the country as they celebrated the team's victory. This inevitably began to bridge the divide between the two groups that had been there for centuries due to apartheid. President Nelson Mandela - despite having to face other pressing issues to build the country in his first term as president, Mandela is committed to his pledge to reunite the people of South Africa. He tries to achieve this through sports, namely rugby in which the country is hosting in the following year. Francois Pienaar, the current captain of the South African Rugby team, the Springboks. Pienaar faces a tough challenge from President Mandela to drive his team to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup Championship, something he never thought possible before. Newly-elected President Nelson Mandela plays a leading role as the person who tries to unite the divided groups of white Afrikaners and the black South African natives with the end of apartheid. He believes that it can be achieved through rugby, which is the number one sport for the white Afrikaners. With his strong belief in the power of the game, Mandela went against the wishes of his own staff and follows his instincts to pursue his target. One incident shows a sporting organization where all committee members are black natives, and they agree to pass a motion to change the name, colour and logo of the rugby team to suit a different and blacker South Africa. Currently, the rugby team represents the pride of the Afrikaners and is despised by the black natives as they see it as a symbol of nnnrthnirl Tlnumvnr Drncirlnnf Mandala urhn nrrivnc at tho montina 1'1th nf'tnr than vnno