|
|
| NELSON MANDELA: A TRIBUTE TO A LIVING LEGEND:: |
8/3/2008 |
|
Nelson Mandela had a long life fight against inequality and injustice. He was thus incarcerated in prison in 1964 and released 27years later. Nelson Mandela thus rightfully took his place in the history of the world by becoming the first Black man to occupy the august office of President of a free South Africa (1994-1999). He officially retired from politics nine years ago but remains a moral and political leader of our time and one admired the world over. He is unique among African leaders, he did not love power, he took the political baton, used it for the genuine purpose it was meant for and gave it to someone else, having consolidated and solidified power in the ANC hands. This is a legacy not easily replicated in African countries, other developing nations and in some developed ones. Mandela emulates the few great political leaders, such as Abraham Lincoln and M. Ghandi who went beyond mere consensus and moved out ahead of their followers to break new ground. He is known as Madiba-Dad in South African language and had led the campaign for increased global awareness of HIV/AIDS pandemic that was ravaging his country and other humanitarian gestures, and attracted worldwide support and assistance. It is no wonder then that stars of the screen, stage, recording studio and the sporting arena (from Will Smith of the screen to Lewis Hamilton of formula one) gathered at the London Hyde Park last week to pay the visiting Mandela a deserving tribute. As expected, a cheering crowd of over 50,000 people were in attendance each of them struggling only to touch Mandela’s arms like in the Biblical stories. The event was organized to support Mandela’s HIV/AIDS charity 46664 his prison number in his years in prison for his stand on apartheid. In order to express his largeness of heart and unselfishness, he still told the audience that gathered only for him at that occasion, that as they celebrate his 90th birthday; they should remind themselves that the work is far from complete. He intoned that where there is poverty and sickness, including AIDS, where human beings are being oppressed; there is more work to be done. What is amazing about Mandela at 90 is that he did not manifest any of those severe symptoms that physiologists, psychologists and psychiatrists predicted of someone who had undergone such period of solitary confinement. Apart from walking with difficulty and leaning his tall fragile frame heavily on his cane/stick, Mandela’s mental acuity is as sharp as that of a young college student. He fully and truly dedicated his lifetime to the struggle-back breaking life in jails marked by torture and sacrifice for the African people. He fought against white domination and also of black domination. He cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It was when he left the shackles of the gaol and triumphantly ascended South Africa’s political citadel that that ideal was consummated. What’s more, the situation never made him cynical or vindictive. He wanted hatred to have no place in his scheme of things saying, “Let us stretch out our hands to those who have beaten us and say to them, we are all South Africans”. There is no way to capture the progress/ transition that Mandela made than to capture what Peter Gabriel wrote on him as far back as 2003-“From the pain comes suffering, from the suffering comes dream, from the dream comes the vision, from the vision comes the people, from the people comes the power, from the power comes the change, but if the world could only have one father, the man we would want to be our father is Madiba, Mr. Nelson Mandela”. There is no doubt that if Mr. Gabriel is writing today he would look for more adjectives and superlative, to qualify this towering giant of our time. His life has been extra-ordinary-an unusual mixture of courage, persistence, perseverance, tolerance and above all, forgiveness. It would be difficult to find a space in his hall to emboss pictures of celebrities, politicians, people who have touched people and changed their lives and their world-Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Pele, Oprah Winfrey, name it, were regular guests to Mandela’s home. He is a citizen of South Africa, Africa and the world at large. That he is a citizen of these constituencies is reflected in some of his popular quotes. As a South African he said “If there are dreams about a beautiful South Africa, there are also roads that lead to their goal. Two of these roads could be named Goodness and Forgiveness “and “Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the operation of one by another”. As African citizen he noted “I dream of the realization of the unity of Africa, whereby its leaders combine in their efforts to solve the problems of the continent, I dream of our vast deserts, of our forests, of all our wildernesses” and “I dream of Africa which is in peace with itself”. There is no contesting the fact that from Algeria to Zambia in Africa and from Albania to Yemen, no living person had ever had so many of his monuments mounted at strategic places as a role model, motivator and a quintessence of humanity. The effusion of encomiums from all parts of the world and from young and old, the highly placed and the downtrodden at this his 90th birthday has been pouring in profusions. Mandela has touched and continued to touch the lives of people across the spectrum in different ways. When we reflect on the towering accomplishments of Mandela as he turns 90, we would come to the conclusion that only few heroes of legend ever went the tortuous route and protracted trials to arrive at victory. He is a rare gem and people of his pedigree come one in a millennium or longer. When we add to the works of Mandela to the Kenyan peace mission amongst other daunting tasks, which former Secretary-General of UN- Kofi Anan successfully brokered in the wake of Kenya’s political imbroglio, we have cause to say that there is much for Africans to cheer for. The Voice joins the echoes from all parts of the globe to salute Madiba Nelson Mandela this African and world legend of our time and wish him many more years of useful service to humanity.
|
|
|
|
| Comments | Post your comment |
|
|
|
