The FIFA World Cup will begin in South Africa in a few days. 32 teams, including Australia, will be competing to win the trophy. South Africa is a beautiful country and it has a population of 47 millions. The matches will be played in nine major cities there.
South Africa was ruled by a white government and black people there didn't have any rights. Many black people lost their lives because they protested against white rule of their country. Police forces used bullets to shoot at them. The law protected white people but the blacks in South Africa had no rights at all. Finally the South Africans enjoyed freedom for the first time when Nelson Mandela became president in 1990 in a free election.
Nelson Mandela is a respected personality all over the world. He spent many years in prison because he campaigned against white rule of his country. The white government called him a terrorist and put him on trial. They sent him to prison on an island in South Africa. Now the island is visited by thousands of tourists every day.
Many people say that today there is one country where locals have no rights like the South Africans under white rule. This country is called Palestine.
For more than 65 years, Palestinians have been dreaming of gaining their freedom like the South Africans. Only time will tell if this day will come or not.
