Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela 1918 - 2013
Somehow gone too soon, normally a statement one would make when a young person dies. Today the world's response to his death suggests it is true for this 95 year old! I do not feel too sad at his passing, recently when he was very ill I felt the need to let go of him, to allow an ailing body some peace. Many were praying for his recovery at that time. Though yesterday driving into the Cape Town city centre and seeing the flags on the street poles flying at half mast brought tears to my eyes. These flags greeted me daily for months - flying high and honouring the nation's father. Now it honours him in death.
I remember being introduced to Mandela as our symbol of hope and struggle in South Africa, he was in prison not yet 20 years then. We had stickers of Mandela with a black strip across his eyes - because it is illegal to have a proper picture of a banned person's face. We had them stuck on our bedroom wardrobes, my sisters and I. We were young girls, pubescent yet fully enrolled in the cause of Oliver Tambo, Chris Hani, Nelson Mandela, Steve Biko and Robert Sobukwe! We learnt of the great leaders in our country, the ones they did not talk about at school. We learnt from our local leaders some who since became well known comrades and later members of parliament and cabinet in the free SA. We learnt of Sol Plaatjie, Clemens Kadalie, Billy Nair, Liz Abrahams, Cissy Gool and many others, of revolutionary groups in other countries Samora Machel in Mozambique and Fidel Castro & Che Guevara and the Cuban revolution. We sat in reading circles with Ashley Forbes, as teenagers reading and unpacking Marx's dialectic materialism and other theories that helped us to see the world with new eyes. Then we applied our reading by organising mass meetings and rallying people together to support trade union strikes, school boycotts, consumer boycotts, and any possible protest action - marches, candle light vigils. Mandela was always an embodiment of all of these people and of all of this work. He was never revered just for himself, because we knew as he said he would die for this freedom, all or most of us who enrolled in this cause too would die for this freedom. Many did die, Neil Agett, Ashley Kriel, Solomon Mahlangu, Matthew Goniwe, Ruth First.
We were part of the struggle, we called it the struggle back then. All the revolutionary work to realise a new SA where we will have security and comfort, the people would govern, the land belonged to all who lived on it and worked it and the doors of learning and culture would be open. These were not Mandela's ideals, these and more were the ideals of the south african people who contributed to and drafted the Freedom Charter under the leadership of the African National Congress and adopted in 25, 26 June 1955 at the Congress of the People in Kliptown. Mandela and the other Rivonia trialists showed us a steadfastness and commitment to the struggle that kept the comrades on the ground inspired to keep going. And likewise for the comrades underground. We knew that we could not leave them to languish in jail. Their courage fueled our courage and ours fueled theirs. Already by this time many comrades were in jail and many had been executed others were on deathrow. Mandela was our poster boy and was willing as always to serve. So we called for his release everywhere including at the UN where Stevie Wonder supported that call and sang (cannot recall the song, I just called to say I love you maybe) for Mandela at the UN. We spray painted his face with the black strip across the walls of the cape flats, in the streets. While graf artists were spraying dance moves, I was a graf artist spraying liberation slogans an Mandela's face with the black strip together with other comrades in our area, LOGRA. Then I had no idea I was a graf artist! We were just doing our revolutionary duty.
We sang many freedom songs, one of my favourite english ones was a song we often sang:
Mandela, Mandela, Mandela prescribes for freedom
Mandela say freedom now
Show us the way to freedom
In our land South Africa
Rolihlahla Mandela freedom is in your hands
Show us the way to freedom
in our land South Africa
He was a beacon of hope, we kept our eye on his / their release as a key milestone on our way to freedom. A release we all celebrated with fervour what a glorious day it was on the parade in the city of cape town when he addressed the world for the first time after his release. Although the apartheid government was still in place we knew that change was here. Mandela assured us by his presence and his word, indeed change was here. We were assured as we saw the unbanning of many banned organisations and release of political prisoners. Our collective victory!
As I write this I realise that his life has meant more to me as that symbol and representation that every cause needs, that champion that gives the cause a face and helps it to harness support. He went on to do this for most of his remaining years. Thank you Madiba.
Nelson Mandela, was human and can be criticised for sunset clauses and flying too close to the sun as he courted big money and literally sold himself, the Mandela brand. Certainly I have much to say about that. He can also be frowned at for his 3 marriages and how sadly the first Mrs Mandela has been relegated to nonexistent overshadowed by a flamboyant and charismatic Winnie and the elegant, First Lady, Graca wife to two of Africa's greatest sons and revolutionary in her own right! He was not perfect. He was, our Mandela and our inspiration and we thank him for that. Africa has had many great leaders, none have been as influential as this man.
Although this powerful beacon of hope has passed away, I cannot despair, knowing that his struggle has been my struggle and here I stand, my spear in my hand and my fist held high. Let's continue to water the tree of freedom! A luta continua!
