[dropcap]T[/dropcap]elevision networks,newspapers and the social media websites on the internet converse and focus on the greatness of Nelson Mandela. They are leaving no stone unturned to analyse, describe and assess Mandela’s contribution to the South African dream.
What more can be said of a man who drew praise even from his ‘detractor’. That is how one would categorise FW Klerk before Klerk in 1989 became President of South Africa and decided to release Mandela in 1990.No one expected Klerk to take this step because as a lawyer and parliamentarian and a member of the government he had always stood firm for white privileges But when he realized that the apartheid system was leading to both economic and political bankruptcy, he put himself at the head of a radical change of course. He continued the negotiations with Mandela and the ANC liberation movement, which had begun in secret. They agreed to prepare for a presidential election and to draw up a new constitution with equal voting rights for every population group in the country. Following Mandela’s release, the two politicians worked together to bring an end to the policy of racial segregation.
One can only draw lessons and inspiration from a life like Mandela’s. That is what FW Klerk said while recounting his experience working with Mandela. Klerk spoke of his integrity, wisdom and his reconciliatory nature all of which that have made him into an icon, a peacemaker he is today.
The lessons that Mandela has taught is what the world needs today, here in Nagaland more than ever. Our leaders, we, as people need to take lessons from history and how leaders in the league of Mandela have steered their people in difficult and oppressive times. Mandela’s life to clearly states that nothing comes easy and much less is achieved when the self is put before the cause.
Nelson Mandela’s father, who was destined to be a chief, served as a counselor to tribal chiefs for several years. I am sure during his growing up years, in his village he imbibed the African philosophy Ubuntu. It is derived from a Nguni word, Ubuntu meaning “the quality of being human”. Ubuntu manifests itself through various human acts, clearly visible in social, political, and economic situations, as well as among family. According to sociologist Buntu Mfenyana, it “runs through the veins of all Africans, is embodied in the often-repeated: “Ubuntu ngumtungabanyeabantu” (“A person is a person through other people”).
This African proverb reveals a world view that we owe our selfhood to others, that we are first and foremost social beings, that, if you will, no man/woman is an island, or as the African would have it, “One finger cannot pick up a grain”. Ubuntu is, at the same time, a deeply personal philosophy that calls on us to mirror our humanity for each other.
Ubuntu philosophy helped Mandela forgive those who imprisoned him for 27 years. After being released he said: “As I walked out of the door towards freedom I knew that if I did not leave all the anger, hatred and bitterness behind I would still be in prison.”
Mandela was a role model for those searching for the meaning of life, having a dream bigger than self, mobilising, motivating and aligning people towards a common goal and having compassion and empathy towards fellow humans. As 21st century searches for models and mindsets that could make organisations and the world survive and be sustainable, Mandela will be a message that offers hope and possibility.
