Saying Goodybe to Madiba

The morning after Madiba passed, Cape Town seemed a bit quieter. The dog barks and birds’ songs were tinged with melancholy, as if even they knew that a great light had been extinguished from the world. Fewer cars seemed to pass by on the busy road near my house and everyone treaded a bit more softly. Not just the southern tip of Africa was in mourning due to the death of this incredible icon, the whole world was impacted, as they had been by his words and actions that lead to the end of apartheid in 1990, and the first free election in 1994.

This news was somewhat surprising for me, and many South Africans, as recently it had been reported that Mandela was improving after the scare we’d had in June of this year. But as one of my South African friends from work noted, it was a moment that was ‘necessary’ – South Africa could not hold on to Mandela forever. Already he had lived a life incredibly long for someone who spent 27 years in prison, and suffered many health problems due to the work he preformed while imprisoned. Yet this will be a very interesting time for South Africa. My Facebook newsfeed is flooded with quotes and testimonies of this amazing figure, and one would hope that his death would bring reminders of the love, forgiveness and tolerance he preached. It could be a time for the Rainbow Nation to truly unit and grieve for this man who has been a father figure for half a century.

At the same time, I can see why the exact opposite might occur with the absence of Mandela. In June, I spoke to many of my friends about a fear I had about the anger and outrage that might be sparked at this loss. It is easy for those of us living in first world countries, or in a house behind walls in South Africa to say that we should remember his lesson of tolerance. But while driving to work this morning I watched as older women proceeded down the street to houses where they spent their days as domestic workers, and men in bright neon vests swept the street, and I understood where rage might come from. Twenty years after the first free election in South Africa, most of the black people in this country, the people Mandela fought for, are still trapped in poverty in an economic system that remains dominated by the white minority. Corruption has been constant in the ANC ever since Mandela left office, and government education is still absolutely lacking. Violent labor strikes and protests happen more, and more frequently across the nation. I understand the frustration, I am frustrated myself, and I wouldn’t be terribly surprised if Mandela’s death is instead a reminder for some of how little life has changed since the country became ‘free.’

It will be interesting to see how the country reacts to this news; something we knew would one day come, but desperately hoped it wouldn’t. If anyone deserved to be immortal, it was Madiba, but he will forever live on in our hearts. I consider myself extremely lucky to be in South Africa at such an important time, and will mourn along with this country since Nelson Mandela, and South Africa, have had an incredible influence on my life, and the way I see the world.

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

– Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela

 One of my favorite photos from my visit to the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg last year.