Being Mandela

By, Lubaina Ehsan
Class of 2013

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One day an African warden asked me the question: Mandela, what do you think is going to happen to you in this case? I said to him, ‘Ah! They’re going to hang us.’ Now, although I thought this was a real danger I was really expecting some word of encouragement from him and I thought he was going to say, ‘Ah, you see that can never happen.’ But, he became serious. And, then he said, ‘I think you’re right, they are going to hang you.’

-Nelson Mandela as he recalled the Rivonia Trial in a video released by Afravision. (It was a very crucial trial where ten African National Congress (ANC) Leaders supporting the Anti-Apartheid movement were eventually convicted for life.)

Imagine being in a country where you’re considered an ‘outcast’, where you live but are not deemed worthy of living, where you participate as a citizen but your citizenship is revoked and you walk around the streets reading the signboards claiming that you cannot enter a certain place because you’re NON-WHITE. Imagine being in a country that is ruled by those who claim it to be theirs and theirs only. You are lost. You are deprived. YOU WANT FREEDOM. That is what the anti-apartheid movement which Mandela fought so gallantly for was.

He fought against the Apartheid Laws that were brought in by the National Party in 1948 that got elected by a ‘whites-only’ election. Against the Laws that divided Africans into blacks, whites, coloured and Indian. It was against ‘racism’ and being judged according to one’s colour. IT WAS IN A COUNTRY THAT WAS SURROUNDED BY NON-INDEPENDENT COUTNRIES. And, yes, it was against ‘RACISM’, the word we just throw around like it means nothing now. We take racism very lightly, but Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress did not and could not do that. They took a step against the flow, a step that turned out to be a huge leap and soon revered them victorious.

We are often told to learn from the pages of history. Well, Nelson Mandela’s page is a very bright one if one does aim to take heed. Start by knowing that you are a human being and that your life has value. We sit in our living rooms watching TV as we shout out to the world: Do what you want to but just leave us alone. We remember the ones who left behind a great legacy but forget that we are to learn and act upon the teachings they left behind for us too. Taking a tiny example, we’re most likely to throw that candy wrapper out of the car window just because ‘everybody else does it and just a tiny wrapper won’t make a difference.’ Well, you know what? It does make a difference. May it be a small candy wrapper or a little act of kindness, may it be an article that motivates others to stand up and realize or may it be a revolution; IT ALL MATTERS.

So, stand up and stand up today. Play your part as a citizen of the country that lets you roam free and allows you take any place in the bus you wish or eat out in any restaurant that you fancy. But, realize that the task of being responsible as a citizen of this country is ON YOU.

Nelson Mandela passed away at the age of 95 on the 5^th of December 2013 but YOU ARE STILL ALIVE. You might read this write-up like any other and put it at the back of your head but just know that as long as you play your part, this world and our country can become a better place. You can’t make everything right, but your little contribution as a responsible citizen can make a huge difference.

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-The video of Nelson Mandela for Afravision can be found here.
-A video clip, based on the 1976 movie ‘Network’, titled ‘Mad as Hell’ for the realization that our lives have value can be found here. 

[THIS VIDEO CLIP IS A MUST-WATCH]
-Nelson Mandela's statement from the dock at the opening of the defence case in Rivonia Trial can be found here.
-More about Apartheid in South Africa is here.
-More about being a responsible citizen is here.

-Nelson Mandela's autobiography.