From Madiba I learnt the virtue of forgiving
Anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela arrives to address a rally, days after his release from jail, February 25, 1990, in Bloemfontein, where ANC was formed 75 years ago. AFP PHOTO / TREVOR SAMSON
In Summary
- The intriguing part of Madiba’s towering legacy is that it is as timeless as it is universal
- Forgiveness and reconciliation are the key ingredients for peace and harmonious co-existence in any society
My childhood, youth and young adulthood through the 1970s, 80s and 90s coincided with a momentous period in Africa when our continent was redefining her destiny after decades of colonial misrule.
My peers and I grew up hearing of the names of such great African luminaries as Patrice Lumumba of the Congo, Kwamwe Nkrumah of Ghana, Nnamdi Azikiwe of Nigeria and Nelson Mandela of South Africa. We also heard about Mahatma Gandhi of India, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King.
What distinguishes Madiba from this league of the greats, beyond straddling a sizeable stretch of the 20th Century and the initial part of the 21st is the fact that this indubitable and unparalleled African icon has a catalogue of firsts to his name that we learnt a lot from.
The intriguing part of Madiba’s towering legacy is that it is as timeless as it is universal. To begin with Madiba’s legendary resilience and perseverance is in a class of its own. For 27 good years, indeed a period long enough to be considered a generation, Mandela kept the hope for a free South Africa going in incarceration.
His focus and resolve were stoic and unbendable. I consider this to be the highest form of sacrifice for freedom and the dignity of humanity, especially when it is compromised of under threat of external assault. To earn real freedom for humanity and address inequality among races, social classes and nations, nothing short of personal sacrifice can lead to a breakthrough.
Forgiveness and reconciliation are the key ingredients for peace and harmonious co-existence in any society. Indeed, this is timeless wisdom and nobody demonstrated this truism better than Madiba throughout the struggle for his country’s independence through to when he became the first black President of the Republic of South Africa.
Madiba remained true to this enigmatic spirit till his death. It is this quality of towering over the pangs of anger afflicted by architects of apartheid and being able to forgive (but not forget) that hoists Madiba — even in death — to the highest peak of human virtue.
William Ruto is Kenya’s Deputy President
Ruto is spinning furiously. He has nothing in common with Madiba. If anything, he is the very opposite. There is reason he is standing trial at The Hague. Does this newspaper have any policies regarding publishing self-serving pieces by suspects especially of major crimes against humanity.?