Book & Author
President Nelson Mandela: A Global Icon of Freedom, in His Own Words
By Dr Ahmed S. Khan
Chicago, IL
February 11, 2021, marks the 31st anniversary of President Nelson Mandela’s release from prison after a harsh 27-year imprisonment for his defiance of the apartheid system in South Africa.
During the past seven decades, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (1918 –2013), through his words and actions, has become a global icon of courage, hope, freedom, reconciliation, and a symbol of the triumph of the human spirit. Nelson Mandela’s struggle against apartheid has made him a champion of freedom and humanity. He is the most honored political prisoner of the 20th century.
Nelson Mandela championed the cause of human rights and stood for global struggles for justice and movements for freedom spanning from Palestine to Kashmir. He displayed powerful leadership traits which enabled him to lead his people effectively for achieving success after decades of struggle against apartheid: he, had a clear vision of the objectives of achieving justice and equality; never compromised on principles, and never betrayed his friends and party; evaluated his opponents positions to develop his tactics and strategies; never allowed his ego to dictate the decision-making process; used arguments and logic to convince his adversaries; treated his opponents with dignity; communicated effectively, chose his words carefully; and, believed in forgetting and forgiving to reconcile and make peace with his opponents.
In the Words of Nelson Mandela presents a collection of Mandela’s comments and opinions on a vast array of subjects – including humanity, peace, friendship, freedom, reconciliation, education, colonialism, apartheid, history, heroes, and leadership. In her introduction, the editor, Jennifer Crwys-Williams, observes, “…Nelson Mandela is the world’s role model. A towering figure of strength and forgiveness, he has been able to do the almost impossible; unite the bitterly divided people of the country of his birth. In doing so, he has been taken to the heart of both the mighty and the dispossessed the world over. Nelson Mandela, while remaining a South African to the last fiber of his being, belongs to everyone, irrespective of where they live, and importantly for him, how they live. He has become, in the few years since his release from imprisonment, a symbol of reconciliation and, in a world divided by sectarian hatred, a symbol of love.”
Recalling his childhood, Mandela said, “When I was a boy brought up in my village in the Transkei, I listened to the elders of the tribe telling stories about the good old days, before the arrival of the white man. I hoped and vowed then that, among the treasures that life might offer me, would be the opportunity to serve my people and make my own humble contribution to the freedom struggle. The elders would tell us about the liberation and how it was fought by our ancestors in defense of our country, as well as the acts of valor performed by generals and soldiers during those epic days.”
Mandela played a pivotal role in organizing the African National Congress (ANC). Commenting on the role the ANC played in its struggle against apartheid, Mandela observed, “We must move from the position of a resistance movement to one of builders.…For us the struggle against racism has assumed the proportions of a crusade…The African National Congress is the greatest achievement of the twentieth century.”
During his struggle against apartheid, Mandela said in 1964, "I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."
During his 27 years in prison, Mandela was the famous inmate of cell 30 at Robben Island.
The cell was a small space occupied by a lidded metal bucket for a toilet, a narrow bed, a small table and three small painted metal cupboards fixed on a wall. The political prisoners were subjected to hard labor breaking rocks in the lime quarry. They were denied reading materials and opportunities to play sports or sing songs. Many times, to break the prisoners’ spirit they were kept in solitary confinement without food. But Mandela and the ANC leadership used these daily injustices as an opportunity for self-examination and meditation to envision light after the darkness and to formulate strategies for ending the apartheid system.
On this oppressive system, Mandela observed, “Apartheid is the rule of the gun and the hangman. Apartheid itself was a war against the people.…The universal struggle against apartheid was not an act of charity arising out of pity for our people, but an affirmation of our common humanity… Out of the experience of an extraordinary human disaster that lasted too long, must be born a society of which all humanity will be proud.” And about freedom Mandela said, “There is no easy walk to freedom … Too many have suffered for the love of freedom…. Only free men can negotiate.”
Regarding his aspirations for Africa, Mandela said, “The peoples of resurgent Africa are perfectly capable of deciding upon their own future form of government and discovering and themselves dealing with any dangers which might arise….Africa, more than any other continent, has had to contend with the consequences of conquest in a denial of its own role in history, including the denial that its people had the capacity to bring about change and progress….It would be a cruel irony of history if Africa's actions to regenerate the continent were to unleash a new scramble for Africa which, like that of the nineteenth century, plundered the continent's wealth and left it once more the poorer….No doubt Africa's renaissance is at hand – and the people of the continent are eager and willing to be among the very best in all areas of endeavor.”
Commenting on Islam in Africa, Mandela observed, “Islam has enriched and become part of Africa; in turn, Islam was transformed, and Africa became part of it.”
Commenting on colonialism, Mandela said, “Through force, fraud and violence, the people of North, East, West, Central and Southern Africa were relieved of their political and economic power and forced to pay allegiance to foreign monarchs. The resistance of the black man to white colonial intrusion was crushed by the gun.…In all we do, we have to ensure the healing of the wounds inflicted on all our people across the great dividing line imposed on our society by centuries of colonialism and apartheid…” And Mandela said, “Imperialism means the denial of political and economic rights and the perpetual subjugation of the people by a foreign power. Imperialism has been weighed and found wanting.”
Discussing the role of compromise, Mandela wrote, “If you are not prepared to compromise, then you must not enter or think about the process of negotiation at all. But compromise must not undermine your own position.” And on building alliances, Mandela said, “No true alliance can be built on the shifting sands of evasions, illusions and opportunism.”
On the role of education, Mandela said, “Parents have the right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children. Make every home, every shack or rickety structure a center of learning.” For Mandela “Children are the most vulnerable citizens in any society and the greatest of our treasures.…The children who sleep in the streets, reduced to begging to make a living, are testimony to an unfinished job. There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children…. One of my greatest pleasures is to sit down with my children and listen to them, to listen to their hopes and aspirations and help them to grow.”
Expounding on history, Mandela observed: “History punishes those who resort to force and fraud to suppress the claims and legitimate aspirations of the majority of the country's citizens. History shows that penalties do not deter men when their conscience is aroused.”
Discussing his heroes, Mandela said “Muhammed Ali was an inspiration to me even in prison because I thought of his courage and commitment. He used mind and body in unison and achieved success.” About his favorite things, Mandela observed, “My favorite animal is the impala because it is alert, curious, rapid and able to get out of difficult conditions easily-and with grace.” Describing the importance of self-respect, Mandela said, “If you are in harmony with yourself, you may meet a lion without fear, because he respects anyone with self-confidence.”
Expounding on the traits and nature of leadership, Mandela said, “It is a mistake to think that a single individual can unite the country.…When leaders have the honesty to criticize their own mistakes and their own organization, then they can criticize others.…A leadership commits a crime against its own people if it hesitates to sharpen its political weapons which have become less effective….It is no use for a leader to surround himself with yes-men….A leader who relies on authority to solve problems is bound to come to grief….We have the high salaries and we are living in luxury: that destroys our capacity to speak in a forthright manner and tell people to tighten their belts.”
On December 5, 2013, Nelson Mandela left this earthly abode, but his wise words will continue to guide present and future generations: “The great lesson of our time is that no regime can survive if it acts above the heads of the ordinary citizens of the country.” Discussing his own death, Mandela said, “It would be very egotistical of me to say how I would like to be remembered. I'd leave that entirely to South Africans. There will be life after Mandela. I would just like a simple stone on which is written, ‘Mandela.’”
Indeed, there is life after Mandela. In the post-Mandela era, apartheid had become a thing of the past at local and global levels. In the words of Nelson Mandela is a unique collection of short quotations on many important topics. It provides insight into the courage and wisdom of one of the great leaders of the twentieth century.
(Dr Ahmed S. Khan - dr.a.s.khan@ieee.org - is a Fulbright Specialist Scholar, 2017-2022. Professor Khan has 35 years of experience in Higher Education as professor of Electrical Engineering. He is the author of many academic papers, technical and non-technical books, and a series of books on Science, Technology & Society (STS); his most recent books are Mashriq-o-Mugrib Ki Mumtaz Shaksiaat (Prominent Personalities of the East and the West), and Nanotechnology: Ethical and Social Implications.)
