Friday, December 6, 2013

The father of our democracy. R.I.P tata



I think one of the greatest lessons we can learn from Madiba was the lesson of forgiveness and reconciliation.

Towards the end of Apartheid, the Apartheid regime was able to keep white people polarized with their strong “swaart gevaar” (black danger) propaganda campaigns.

The Apartheid regime told us that if the black man got the ability to vote, that there would be waves of revenge killings and genocide. It was strongly drummed into all white people that if the black man was free, we would be driven into the ocean until it ran red with our blood. We were often told in gory detail about what happened to the white people in Kenya during the Mau-Mau. 

When Apartheid ended, many white people were fearful…. but then Mandela happened. He took everything that we believed and turned it upside down. He showed us what a great statesman he was. He showed us gentleness, reconciliation and forgiveness. He showed us everything that the Apartheid government told us he was not. 

Instead of violence, he showed us gentleness, instead of revenge he showed us forgiveness and instead of death he showed us reconciliation. 

No country is luckier than South Africa to have had such a gentle and kind leader. Mandela is truly the father of our proud democratic nation.

I think we have all learned from tata Mandela. In some way he has impacted all of our lives. We have to take the gift of democracy he has given us and grow it. We have to create a South Africa that we know he would be truly proud of.

The father of our nation has closed his eyes so that the rest of the world may open theirs

No one is born hating another person because of the color of their skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”, Nelson Mandela

We love you Mandela. Asoze sikulibale. Nkosi sikelele' iAfrika



"I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for, and to see realised. But my Lord, if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.", Nelson Mandela