Nelson Mandela - comments of what his life meant to you (page 4)

MMXIV

Welcome AFRICAMAN from a cold and windy UK!

I have read little of what there is to read about Mandela and all these comments are raising my interest. Today I heard of his strong opinions on education and how he encouraged many personally to become educated even his prison warden.

In terms of economics the BEE (Black Economic Empowerment) has given certain groups priority in jobs, skills opporunities in management. Legislation is trying to makes things fairer. As someone who has worked for companies that invested in SA I can say that the minor issues / risks faced were overcome with local expertise and the investments were very positive.

Band, I will read the NY times article for a balanced view - I think we are all adults and understand he was part of a movement where violence was involved. For me his course of peace and forgiveness is no less noble if he has seen the devestation violence can cause.

mmxiv

nugget

I remember the protest songs demanding freedom for Nelsaon Mandela, I remember not buying South African apples and bananas as a protest and the shock when some English sportsman went to play in the country. My parents believed Nelson Mandela was a terrorist but his story and the songs didn't fit with the image.

I went to see Cry freedom at the cinema and found the story shocking.

I greatly admired him and that he could convert his passion for equality into positive reform. He was able to use his past to improve the future rather than punnish his enemies. He recognised the need to make peace with the past to move forward rather than constantly look backwards. I have found this a very useful strategy for my life.

Band on the Run

The New York Times seemed unclear whether he had actually engaged in violence or was an organizer. He was a lawyer so he may have had a neutral role. Both Begin and Sadat were terrorists in their youth. Sometimes we do things when we are young that we regret. I also believe that avenues to get rid of apartheid were not available in South Africa. What would Dr. King have done in addressing apartheid? Gandhi always freely admitted that his tactics would never work on Nazis. He knew how to play with the common law mind set of British jurists and diplomats.

One thing I noticed in the Times piece was his view of younger activists. They thought he was too restrained. He questioned them if they thought about strategy. Did they understand the power of their enemy? What steps would they take when the apartheid government came for them? I felt plunged back here in the debate over activism with the WT. He was falsely accused of being "antiactivist" too. It is clear that he was an extraordinary leader. I am left wondering why the South African government chose him to negotiate with. Was Mandela designated by the ANC to be the negotiator? It seems as tho he just assumed the position without authority or consensus.

I must read a detailed biography soon. Besides apartheid being wrong, I know nothing about South Africa.

sammielee24

When I think of Mandela - I think of the ANC. When I think of the ANC, I recall quite clearly all the graphic media coverage and photos of the innocent with tires around their necks being burned alive - their offense usually meant they did not support the ANC. Land mines. Bombing. Torture. Thousands were murdered and Mandela admitted to supporting the bombing of at least one church in which hundreds were wounded and innocent people died.

I believe that in the end, he was able to achieve his own sense of peace for his actions and move to transition SA from possible civil war to peace. He did not do it alone - deKlerk and others made it possible but for that transition he should be remembered.

As always, ideology will play a part in the opinion of people. What is that saying? One mans freedom fighter is another mans terrorist?

Long Walk to Freedom - Mandela

Inside MK - Mbokodo

A Soldiers Story - Mwezi Twala.

May he rest in peace.

rebel8

Lol Nathan--hilarious as usual!

valkyrie Google "Mandela terrorism". He started a terrorist movement that resulted in many deaths, and imprisoned for it. They did bombings and he advocated this. In his later years he reminded others of his shortcomings, which I respect.

Ronald Reagan supposedly supported Apartheid and said it was necessary to maintain our freedom.

Many people did bad things during those times.

Interestingly, I've talked to people from SA who have elevated him to Jesus status and find it a sacrilege to "talk about his past". Cognitive dissonance--sound familiar?

GLTirebiter

This I hadn't heard before: Mandela had a JW connection (link to Freeminds). Mandela's wife was a Witness.

They went on to have four children together one of which died after nine months. Somewhere in the early 1950’s Evelyn converted to becoming a Jehovah’s Witness. This conversion spelled the end of their marriage. Why? Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that the end of the world is coming and all that are not Jehovah’s Witnesses will be destroyed by God. This is a core teaching they have preached for 150 years. In interviews Mrs. Mandela stated:

“Ms. Mandela, a member of the Jehovah’s Witness denomination, separated from Mr. Mandela in 1955 after what her husband described in his autobiography, 'Long Walk to Freedom,' as an irreconcilable conflict between politics and religion."

In another,

"There was a strong lobby within the African National Congress circles for Mr. Mandela to remarry her, but Sister Evelyn stood her ground that she did not consider remarriage and above all her former husband is not a worshiper of Jehovah like herself."

Stand for Pure Worship

In somewhat of a harmony with Rebel8's comments, one person's actions labeled as terrorism can be reasonably labeled as freedom fighting or revolutionary by someone else. In Mandela's case my feelings and thoughts lean towards the latter. If he would have pulled a Mugabe it would have been understandable, but he didn't and you have to respect that. Like wow he did the diplomatic thing when it would have been understandable to do the opposite. Turning the other cheek crap doesn't always fly with me, but it takes a bigger man to do so. I guess that's what makes Jesus words, example, and Mandela's actions during his latter years so remarkable. Tit for tat doesn't appear to change the course of history for the better in many cases. Just because the tables have turned putting you higher on the food chain doesn't mean its right to take advantage of your new found position of power.

belbab

I don't know if anyone has posted this information on this board yet. Nelson Mandela wrote an autobiography of his life that was pulished in 1994.

It is called "Long Walk to Freedom". It is one of the most powerful books I have ever read. His first wife was called Evelyn and they had a number of children together. On page 206 of the book, He writes:

"Over the course of the next year Evelyn became involved with the Watch Tower organization, part of the church of Jehovah's Witnesses. Whether this was due to some dissatisfaction with her life at the time, I do not know. The Jehovah's Witnesses took the Bible as the sole rule of faith and believed in a coming Armageddon between good and evil. Evelyn zealously began distributing their publication The Watchtower, and began to proselytize me as well, urging me to convert my commitment to the struggle to a commitment to God. Although I found some aspects of the Watchtower's system to be interesting and worthwhile, I could not and did not share her devotion. There was an obsessional element to it that put me off. From what I could discern, her faith taught passivity and submissiveness in the face of oppression, something I could not accept.

Later in the book somewhere it states they were divorced and it seemed to indicate that she left him, not the contrary. He also attended a Kingdom Hall wedding ceremony of one of his and Evelyn's children. Somewhere I have seen photographs of him attending the Kingdom Hall.

Today the whole world is celebrating his commitment to freedom. Will there be any mention of him amongst Jehovah's Witnesses?

belbab

Sorry, I reread the whole thread and I see that Afrikanman and others have mentionned his connection with Jehovah's Witnesses. Still, if you have and opportunity to read his biography you may come to a greater understanding of the man and his devotion to freedom.

belbab

CAL69

The one thing that struck me when reading about his life was the role that the CIA played in getting him incarcerated in the first place.

He was a great man and inspiration to many.

http://www.prisonplanet.com/on-the-cias-role-in-nelson-mandelas-1962-arrest.html

Nelson Mandela - comments of what his life meant to you

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