As the world continues to celebrate Nelson Mandela’s life and mourn his death, The CIHA Blog has collected more reflections from around the world about his legacy. Ugandan journalist Tumusiime K. Deo has also contributed thoughts about how we can incorporate Mandela’s values into our own lives. And we encourage you to return to last summer’s post, The Prayer for Mandela as a Site of Struggle, written by CIHA Blog co-editor Dr R Simangaliso Kumalo.
Remember to Call at My Grave: Madiba and John Dube
by Cherif Keita in Africa is a Country
Pope Francis Plays Tribute to Nelson Mandela
from The Vatican Network
Lovely Bones: Reflections on the Legacy of Nelson Mandela
by Katie Doyle Griffiths-Dingani in New Politics
Un message pour l’éternité
par Cheikh Thiam dans Le Soleil
Mandela et le Sénégal, Mon Hommage à Madiba
par Hamidou Sall dans Leral.net
Was Mandela Divine?
by Tumusiime K. Deo
As the world mourns the passing of one of the most revered human beings to have lived on this earth, many are looking at him as a divine being. The story of a poor village boy from Qunu who lived a very stubborn and eventful life, who was incarcerated for 27 years on Robben Island, is as intriguing as it is true. It is a tale of a journey of faith and a practical manifestation of the Biblical mustard seed. This poor boy did not need to have fighter jets in order to win a battle that many the world over thought was more than just a mountain to climb—it was a replica of little David flooring the giant Goliath.
When I, a Ugandan, was in South Africa in 2012, I could tell how much the man was truly loved. Watching black South Africans walking side by side with their fellow whites, eating in the same restaurants, driving in the same cars and attending the same concerts was such a great sight, a dream come true for many. White South Africans still control a significant chunk of the country’s economy and social infrastructure, but at least many people can fairly call South Africa home, thanks to Mandela’s achievement for the country.
Mandela’s death must never be seen as an end to an era, but rather the beginning of an era. Yes, Mandela was human like you and I, eating the same food we eat, breathing the same air, with red blood like yours and mine and born of a woman like you and I were. What this means is that you and I can emulate him, stamp similar footsteps or, at the very least, walk in his footsteps if we choose to. South Africa is still plagued with snippets of the very challenges for which Mandela sacrificed his life, and how sweet it would be in his memory if those still living today did their best to fully realize Mandela’s dreams! It’s doable, it’s doable, it’s doable.
Some people have been quoted as saying that it costs blood to redeem a nation. I have never believed this notion, especially considering that there are a mouthful of options available to achieve the same goal using peaceful means. Of course South Africans could have opted to pick up guns, pangas and machetes to drive the apartheid regime off their land, but Mandela chose the softer approach soon after he was released from prison and engaged in talks with his counterparts, which later resulted in the glimmer of hope South Africa has enjoyed for the past few decades. He initiated the image of the rainbow nation to depict that despite their differences in color, South Africans were nonetheless ONE PEOPLE. This is an aspect that all peoples of the world must embrace.
So, how can one be like Mandela? If you think it’s one of the most difficult of things to achieve, simply read his biography, and thankfully there are quite a number of his peers still living today who can attest to the unquestionable humanity of Nelson Mandela. Driven by absolute desire to redeem his fellow human beings, Mandela put pride aside and chose the most basic and unselfish approach that has now made him one of the most important human beings of this era.
Mandela may be physically gone, but I am optimistic that the memory of him and his achievements will remain engraved on our minds for many generations to come.