Remembering Amina

She marched pregnant against apartheid, outwitted guards for a jailbreak, and turned down Nelson Mandela's marriage proposal.

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Remembering Amina

Amina Cachalia and Nelson Mandela

Activist-turned-South Africa’s first Black president, Nelson Mandela, knew how to use humor and wit to charm celebrities, world leaders, and whole nations. His high spirits and joyful demeanor have captivated the likes of Naomi Campbell and Oprah. He won over nearly everyone he came in contact with, from villagers to the men high in governments. However, during the 1990s, before he went on to marry his wife Graça Machel in his third marriage, there was one woman who had turned down his marriage proposal.

But to say that Amina Cachalia’s biggest accomplishment was receiving, and rejecting, a marriage proposal from Nelson Mandela is a grave wrongdoing. Her life was nothing less than extraordinary.