Joining Mandela’s long walk to freedom

It is Nelson Mandela’s birthday today. The very name evokes tangible images of courage and kindness, of fierce fight and forgiveness, of revolt and reconciliation. Yes, he had that rare quality of farsightedness that enabled him to flare up and lead his nation against the appalling apartheid that epitomised rancid racism, yet when the time demanded, he reached out to reconcile with the bitter enemy. He saw the larger picture, he saw truth, he saw the need to heal wounds rather than let them fester ad infinitum.

With shocking, cruel injustices unfolding before our eyes all over the world today, including on our own homeland, the life, work and struggle of the great South African leader has taken on a fresh dimension. Nelson Mandela passed away on 5 December 2013. But did he really die? Can we say that this great man is actually dead? Surely not!

Surely Mandela lives on in souls of the valiant Palestinian people fighting for their rights, for their survival in Gaza. Surely he lives on in the souls of the downtrodden people around the world who refuse to submit to injustice. Surely he lives on in the young students on our streets -- bleeding but never pleading, taking the bullet but refusing to bow, embodying the spirit of the liberation war, wanting peace and ready to pay the price.

We hear Mandela’s voice in the resounding slogans of our young men and women, calling for freedom, freedom from discrimination, injustice and suppression. They have all joined Nelson Mandela’s long walk to freedom.

Nelson Mandela, often lovingly referred to as Madiba by his people, was born on 18 July 1918 in South Africa. An anti-apartheid leader, activist and statesman, he was the country’s first black head of state. He served as president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.

Most people are familiar with the life of Mandela, his struggles, trials and tribulations. If he is admired and lauded for this tremendous struggle that brought an end to the apartheid rule in South Africa and liberated the black people from the humiliating domination of the white “masters”, he is even more revered for taking up the most difficult task of reconciliation.

In a country where the black people had been submitted to humiliation and cruelty by the vicious white supremacists, it was a daunting task to ask his people to reach out and reconcile. He founded the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a court-like restorative justice body after the end of apartheid. It served to heal rather than divide, reconcile rather than seek vengeance.

He was a wise man, a compassionate man, a self-disciplined leader. Of course he was bitterly criticised by a section of his own people who saw reconciliation as a weakness, who saw him in the light of an Uncle Tom. But no, he never bowed or compromised on his lofty ideals of justice and his hatred of discrimination. It was for the sake of peace in his land that he strove for constructive nation-building rather than sinking into a mire of revenge and hatred.

So when he was accused of selling out his people, he merely shrugged off the censure and went about the business of ruling the country. He was not given to lashing out at his critics with invectives and innuendoes. He was made of a much sterner fabric, a fabric woven with wisdom, prudence, pragmatism, a love for his land and people, courage and all that it takes to be a statesman in the true sense of the word.

Mandela’s approach to forgiveness was rooted in strength rather than weakness. Indeed, it took courage and great strength of character to take up the task of reconciliation. His Truth and Reconciliation Commission didn’t close its eyes to all the savagery and injustices that had transpired. It investigated gross human rights including abductions, killings and torture. Its mandate covered sectors, institutions and individuals of both the state and the liberation movement, thus setting a high benchmark of true justice.

His unwavering dedication to his country, to peace and equality is one of the greatest stories in human history.

There are some principles and policies that Mandela strongly believed in:

·       Hate the system, not the people.

·       Confront history – Mandela knew that nation-building would only be possible by facing the difficult history of the nation.

·       Ensure inclusion of the adversaries – He made his opponent de Klerk deputy president.

·       Find symbols that can bind the nation. Rugby was the symbol and this sport brought together the people in a most uplifting manner. A movie, Invictus, was made on the basis of this inspiring true story.

·       Address economic issues

Today the world looks to Mandela. He is a role model to emulate, a road map for the present-day leaders to follow.

A quotation of Nelson Mandela is most inspiring and thought-provoking: “Peace is not just the absence of conflict, peace is the creation of an environment where all can flourish regardless of race, colour, creed, religion, gender, class, caste, or any other social markers of difference.” Indeed, peace is not a passive absence of unrest, but an active condition of contentment and calm.

Amid the chaos, the injustice, violence and spite that corrodes values of humanity all around the world today, let’s become Nelson Mandela. We may not be able to reach his lofty heights, but we can repeat his words: “To be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”