Consider this quote from the article: "We have confounded the prophets of doom and achieved a bloodless revolution. We have restored the dignity of every South African."

In light of the main ideas of this article, what caused Nelson Mandela to make such a public statement?

A. At times during Mandela's imprisonment, his jailors offered him freedom if he would desist his anti-apartheid activities, but Mandela turned them down and even found a way to benefit from his confinement.
B. When Mandela, who had once been refused permission to leave prison for his mother's funeral, went free, people across the country erupted in joy, and he became an international icon of freedom.
C. In his youth, Mandela organized a campaign to encourage defiance of laws that segregated schools, marriage, housing, and job opportunities, and the government retaliated with the first of many "banning" orders that Mandela would receive.
D. South Africa's white rulers had viewed Mandela as the leader of a communist revolution and maintained that black majority rule would usher in chaos and bloodshed, but Mandela felt differently.