President Nelson Mandela Succeeded by Marcelina Chissano Succeeded by Zanele Mbeki Name Graca Machel | President Samora Machel Education University of Lisbon Preceded by none Party FRELIMO | |
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Preceded by Winnie Madikizela-Mandela* Role Minister for Education and Culture of Mozambique Spouse Nelson Mandela (m. 1998–2013), Samora Machel (m. 1975–1986) Children Josina Z. Machel, Malengani Machel Books The impact of war on children Similar People Nelson Mandela, Winnie Mandela, Samora Machel, Evelyn Mase, Makaziwe Mandela‑Amuah | ||
be uncompromising in remaining deeply african gra a machel
Graça Machel DBE ([ˈɡɾasɐ mɐˈʃɛɫ]; née Graça Simbine, [sĩˈbĩni], 17 October 1945) is a Mozambican politician and humanitarian. She is the widow of former South African president Nelson Mandela and of Mozambican president Samora Machel. Machel is an international advocate for women's and children's rights and in 1997 was made a British dame for her humanitarian work.
Contents
- be uncompromising in remaining deeply african gra a machel
- Ann cotton interviewing gra a machel at the skoll awards for social entrepreneurship skollwf 2015
- Early life and career
- Personal life
- Positions
- Awards
- The Elders
- The Africa Progress Panel
- References
Graça Machel is a member of the Africa Progress Panel (APP), a group of ten distinguished individuals who advocate at the highest levels for equitable and sustainable development in Africa. As a panel member she facilitates coalition building to leverage and broker knowledge, and convenes decision-makers to influence policy for lasting change in Africa.
Graça Machel is the only woman in history to have been first lady of two separate republics, serving as the First Lady of Mozambique from 1975 to 1986 and the First Lady of South Africa from 1998 to 1999.
Ann cotton interviewing gra a machel at the skoll awards for social entrepreneurship skollwf 2015
Early life and career
Graça Simbine was born 17 days after her father's death, the youngest of six children, in rural Incadine, Gaza Province, Portuguese East Africa (modern-day Mozambique). She attended Methodist mission schools before gaining a scholarship to the University of Lisbon in Portugal, where she studied German and first became involved in independence issues. She also speaks French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and English, as well as her native Shangaan language. Simbine returned to Portuguese East Africa in 1973, joining the Mozambican Liberation Front (Frelimo) and working as a schoolteacher.
Following Mozambique's independence in 1975, Simbine was appointed Minister for Education and Culture. She married Mozambican president Samora Machel that same year, changing her last name to Machel. Following her retirement from the Mozambique ministry, Machel was appointed as the expert in charge of producing the groundbreaking United Nations report on the impact of armed conflict on children.
Machel received the 1995 Nansen Medal from the United Nations in recognition of her longstanding humanitarian work, particularly on behalf of refugee children.
In 1998, Machel was one of the two winners of the North–South Prize.
Machel currently serves as the chair of The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH). She also serves as the chair of the Association of European Parliamentarians with Africa (AWEPA) Eminent Advisory Board.
Machel has been chancellor of the University of Cape Town since 1999. She was named president of the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London in 2012, and president of the African Leadership University in 2016.
Personal life
Simbine married Samora Machel, the first President of Mozambique, in 1975. They had two children together: Josina and Malengani. Samora Machel died in a plane crash in South Africa in 1986.
Graça Machel married her second husband, Nelson Mandela, in Johannesburg on 18 July 1998, Mandela's 80th birthday. At the time, Mandela was serving as the first post-apartheid president of South Africa. Mandela died of pneumonia on 5 December 2013.
Unfortunately, her name is currently (4 March 2017) being used in an Advance-fee scam with a link to this page, claiming she has $70.5 million to transfer out of South Africa, asking the recipient for help in doing so (personal e-mail communication from [email protected] and [email protected]).
Positions
Awards
The Elders
On 18 July 2007 in Johannesburg, South Africa, Nelson Mandela, Graça Machel, and Desmond Tutu convened The Elders. Mandela announced its formation in a speech on his 89th birthday. The group works on thematic as well as geographically specific subjects. The Elders' priority issue areas include the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Korean Peninsula, Sudan and South Sudan, sustainable development, and equality for girls and women.
Machel has been particularly involved in The Elders' work on child marriage, including the founding of Girls Not Brides: The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage.
The Africa Progress Panel
Machel is a member of the Africa Progress Panel (APP), a group of ten distinguished individuals who advocate at the highest levels for equitable and sustainable development in Africa. Every year, the Panel releases a report, the Africa Progress Report, that outlines an issue of immediate importance to the continent and suggests a set of associated policies.