Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela
For the last few years I have been fascinated by the history of South Africa (SA) and the brutal apartheid regime implemented by the government of the ruling white minority. Nelson Mandela is the face of the struggle against the oppressive powers in SA, and is known worldwide for his opposition to racism and everything that goes with it. It was interesting because on the flight over from London to Dar es Salaam I watched a movie I had never heard of about a guard that worked as a censor for the political prisoners during apartheid. The basic job of a censor is to make sure that the prisoners only receive or send out news that relates to their immediate family, that is, nothing political may be discussed with the outside world. In the movie, the guard, Sergeant James Gregory, has a personal struggle between the racist principles of his own people and his personal convictions that all humans should be treated with respect. The movie was good in detailing Gregory’s personal life, but it left me hungering for more information about the struggle of Mandela and the African National Congress (ANC). Of course I was delighted when the first book that popped out at me on Andrew and Miriam’s shelf was Mandela’s autobiography. I immediately picked it up and could barely put it down until finishing it.
The story puts a much more human face to Mandela; beneath his iconic status is but a normal man who saw injustice and felt he had no choice but to fight it. I was surprised to learn that his upbringing was in a very rural community, in which the people lived very basically but also very contently. He details the tribal relationships and the culture that pervaded the south of this pristine continent; interestingly enough his political views were born out of the democratic nature of the tribal governance. As he matured, a few chance happenings including the death of his father led him to be taken care of by a well off family and educated in some of the best schools in SA. He eventually became a very successful attorney, and his knowledge of the law would greatly aid him in his years to come. This isn’t to say that he had things easy by any means; numerous hardships plagued this mans life and it is amazing that he remained so strong throughout.
Apartheid literally means “apartness” and was a system of classification based on race. At the top were the whites, they could vote, own land, run businesses and had essentially all of the freedoms we have in the Western world today. Next were the “coloureds” which would constitute Indians, Asians, and other immigrants, along with mixed race people. The coloureds had much less rights then the whites (they could not vote) but were better off then the next category. At the bottom of the ladder was “blacks”, the African “natives” that has originally lived on the land for thousands of years. The Africans were essentially treated as sub-humans. They could not vote, own land or use any of the same public facilities as whites. They were required to live in certain designated areas, which were essentially slums, carry “passes” to travel from one city or district to another, and gladly accept the lowest tasks from any white person who ordered them to. Their wages were next to nothing and basic rights such as access to heath care non existent. This description is far from complete but I just want to give you a bit of a picture of what it was like.
The ANC is an organization dedicated to equal rights for all, and was the main force that fought the apartheid government. Mandela slowly rose up the ranks of the ANC throughout his years as the struggle escalated. After decades of national mass action campaigns such as strikes, protests, and stay-at-homes being crushed with merciless force by the government, the ANC had to abandon its policy of nonviolence and begin acts of sabotage against the regime. This was a very difficult but necessary step and it is incredible to see the struggle within the man and the organization to make such a choice.
Before this the government had “banned” the majority of the ANC leaders, which meant that they could not participate in any meetings, give talks, or have their words or pictures published. Political dissent eventually became completely illegal and the government stepped up the police and military force against all who spoke out against them. Mandela and his colleagues were arrested and tried several times; the first few cases the government had virtually no evidence for their imprisonment, but over time more legislation was introduced to allow them to be persecuted for standing up for their rights. This was legislation that is similar to the “Patriot Act” that was implemented in the US recently to “aid in the fight against terrorism.” The guise is that it allows authorities more power against dangerous criminals, but the problem is that it makes no distinction between criminals and normal citizens; therefore it strips us of the rights we enjoy as citizens of a free and fair country. Mandela was eventually convicted and served 27 long years at the most brutal prison in the country, Robben Island.
Much happened in these nearly 3 decades, but I will leave it to you to read the book for the details. In a nutshell, the masses of people kept protesting, the government got more oppressive, violence ensued, and international condemnation of the SA government mounted. With overwhelming pressure the government finally gave in and a change of leadership ushered in a new environment where negotiations could be made. Many people lost their lives throughout this time, including Mandelas’s own son, but freedom eventually prevailed, as Mandela was released and elected President of SA in the first ever democratic elections with a one-man one-vote policy in SA. The ANC is now the ruling party in SA and there is much progress to be made, but at least everyone is now recognized as equal under the law.
In my opinion, Mandela showed his never-ending integrity throughout his lifetime. Even after so many years in prison, where every technique was used to attempt to break the spirit of the most ambitious man, he came out with the same political will and intention to free his people. Mandela is a model for all humans; he illustrates that perseverance will pay off, and that standing up for your beliefs in the face of the most brutal opposition can result in great things that you cannot even fathom at the time. One time before he was imprisoned, Mandela was in London with a friend and his colleague motioned to a statue in the courtyard of the British Parliament, mentioning in passing that one day maybe it would be a statue of them standing there. Well, history is still being made because I just read that 2 weeks ago, 30 years after this comment was made, there was a statue of Nelson erected in this same spot he walked past…
For the last few years I have been fascinated by the history of South Africa (SA) and the brutal apartheid regime implemented by the government of the ruling white minority. Nelson Mandela is the face of the struggle against the oppressive powers in SA, and is known worldwide for his opposition to racism and everything that goes with it. It was interesting because on the flight over from London to Dar es Salaam I watched a movie I had never heard of about a guard that worked as a censor for the political prisoners during apartheid. The basic job of a censor is to make sure that the prisoners only receive or send out news that relates to their immediate family, that is, nothing political may be discussed with the outside world. In the movie, the guard, Sergeant James Gregory, has a personal struggle between the racist principles of his own people and his personal convictions that all humans should be treated with respect. The movie was good in detailing Gregory’s personal life, but it left me hungering for more information about the struggle of Mandela and the African National Congress (ANC). Of course I was delighted when the first book that popped out at me on Andrew and Miriam’s shelf was Mandela’s autobiography. I immediately picked it up and could barely put it down until finishing it.
The story puts a much more human face to Mandela; beneath his iconic status is but a normal man who saw injustice and felt he had no choice but to fight it. I was surprised to learn that his upbringing was in a very rural community, in which the people lived very basically but also very contently. He details the tribal relationships and the culture that pervaded the south of this pristine continent; interestingly enough his political views were born out of the democratic nature of the tribal governance. As he matured, a few chance happenings including the death of his father led him to be taken care of by a well off family and educated in some of the best schools in SA. He eventually became a very successful attorney, and his knowledge of the law would greatly aid him in his years to come. This isn’t to say that he had things easy by any means; numerous hardships plagued this mans life and it is amazing that he remained so strong throughout.
Apartheid literally means “apartness” and was a system of classification based on race. At the top were the whites, they could vote, own land, run businesses and had essentially all of the freedoms we have in the Western world today. Next were the “coloureds” which would constitute Indians, Asians, and other immigrants, along with mixed race people. The coloureds had much less rights then the whites (they could not vote) but were better off then the next category. At the bottom of the ladder was “blacks”, the African “natives” that has originally lived on the land for thousands of years. The Africans were essentially treated as sub-humans. They could not vote, own land or use any of the same public facilities as whites. They were required to live in certain designated areas, which were essentially slums, carry “passes” to travel from one city or district to another, and gladly accept the lowest tasks from any white person who ordered them to. Their wages were next to nothing and basic rights such as access to heath care non existent. This description is far from complete but I just want to give you a bit of a picture of what it was like.
The ANC is an organization dedicated to equal rights for all, and was the main force that fought the apartheid government. Mandela slowly rose up the ranks of the ANC throughout his years as the struggle escalated. After decades of national mass action campaigns such as strikes, protests, and stay-at-homes being crushed with merciless force by the government, the ANC had to abandon its policy of nonviolence and begin acts of sabotage against the regime. This was a very difficult but necessary step and it is incredible to see the struggle within the man and the organization to make such a choice.
Before this the government had “banned” the majority of the ANC leaders, which meant that they could not participate in any meetings, give talks, or have their words or pictures published. Political dissent eventually became completely illegal and the government stepped up the police and military force against all who spoke out against them. Mandela and his colleagues were arrested and tried several times; the first few cases the government had virtually no evidence for their imprisonment, but over time more legislation was introduced to allow them to be persecuted for standing up for their rights. This was legislation that is similar to the “Patriot Act” that was implemented in the US recently to “aid in the fight against terrorism.” The guise is that it allows authorities more power against dangerous criminals, but the problem is that it makes no distinction between criminals and normal citizens; therefore it strips us of the rights we enjoy as citizens of a free and fair country. Mandela was eventually convicted and served 27 long years at the most brutal prison in the country, Robben Island.
Much happened in these nearly 3 decades, but I will leave it to you to read the book for the details. In a nutshell, the masses of people kept protesting, the government got more oppressive, violence ensued, and international condemnation of the SA government mounted. With overwhelming pressure the government finally gave in and a change of leadership ushered in a new environment where negotiations could be made. Many people lost their lives throughout this time, including Mandelas’s own son, but freedom eventually prevailed, as Mandela was released and elected President of SA in the first ever democratic elections with a one-man one-vote policy in SA. The ANC is now the ruling party in SA and there is much progress to be made, but at least everyone is now recognized as equal under the law.
In my opinion, Mandela showed his never-ending integrity throughout his lifetime. Even after so many years in prison, where every technique was used to attempt to break the spirit of the most ambitious man, he came out with the same political will and intention to free his people. Mandela is a model for all humans; he illustrates that perseverance will pay off, and that standing up for your beliefs in the face of the most brutal opposition can result in great things that you cannot even fathom at the time. One time before he was imprisoned, Mandela was in London with a friend and his colleague motioned to a statue in the courtyard of the British Parliament, mentioning in passing that one day maybe it would be a statue of them standing there. Well, history is still being made because I just read that 2 weeks ago, 30 years after this comment was made, there was a statue of Nelson erected in this same spot he walked past…
1 comment:
any titles you want to get your hands on? i have a couple for you that i've been reading.. not including cell and molec...gah. rocked the midterms tho :) talk to you sometime this week. happy thanksgiving Joe!
Post a Comment