Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela
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or numerous centuries, South Africa was under siege by a falsehearted white rule apartheid government that systematically excluded African, Indian and any nonwhite person from meaningful participation in the country's economy. Despite that despicable governmental system, Pubisher/Chief Executive Officer with global admiration under the leadership of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, South Africa achieved legitimate democracy in 1994. For that reason, this is the Nelson Mandela Commemorative Edition of the Black Business News Group, honoring how the late President Mandela dedicated his life for every countryman in order to right the centuries of socioeconomic wrongs, which affected the world of positive social change. South Africa's mission to positive social change was initiated with global fanfare when in 1989 the Honorable Mandela was pardoned in 27-years from a life sentence of political prisoner internment. As you take pleasure in the following informative articles, be mindful of how South Africa's policy of Black Economic Empowerment of 2003 (BEE) is not simply a moral initiative but a pragmatic growth strategy that has useful tools for the USA to form a more perfect union. Correspondingly, for centuries the United States of America (USA) struggled for democratic racial and gender equality and in certain facets of the economy still undergo remedying bias management. USA's public and private sectors have an opportunity to learn from South Africa's collaborative work toward full economic parity by helping to bring its black majority into the economic mainstream. A socioeconomic parallel ignited social change in the USA when in 1963 blacks and civil right supporters demonstrated in a unified March on Washington, D.C. Accordingly, this commemorative issue allows you to think about how Mandela's work served to eliminate entrenched racial inequality and wealth disparities that can benefit improving comparable state of affairs existing in the USA. In particular, please note how affirmative action is used as parity tool in South Africa's
Earl “Skip” Cooper, II
1918~2013
emerging parity processes, which were used in the USA that identically in no way employs taking wealth from one ethnic group in order to give it to another. The USA's now defunct affirmative action policies employed competitive bidding and job candidate selection as a comprehensive growth strategy that is working favorably for South African economies. The highly needed work for Mandela's administration understood how an economy's growth is only as effective as the broadest inclusion of its people. South Africa practices continuous improvement processes and does not consider stopping something that is in some cases perceived as a temporary quoted program or entitlement statute. Consequently, South Africa is staying the course to see favorable outcomes of a completely diverse workforce in economic and social sectors, which automatically broadens the economic base and therefore stimulates economic growth for the entire country. Entitlement perceptions are minimized from South Africa's collaborative public and private sector participation with the BEE act to ultimately achieve broader national market share, thereby reducing historically disadvantaged communities. The Black Business News Group is proud of Nelson Mandela's vision to empower more people of color to own and manage business enterprises. His adopted strategies help to achieve a substantial change in the racial composition of ownership and management structures, without excluding racial groups in the skilled occupations of existing and new enterprises is far and wide commendable. The USA has significant room to better promote access to capital in an effort to finance black enterprise that is similar to the challenges taking place in South Africa of providing larger right of entry to economic activities, land, infrastructure, ownership and skills. The legacy of NELSON ROLIHLAHLA MANDELA is immeasurable, still his work of promulgating South Africa to include enterprises owned and managed by all people is fully representative of peace and progress. He knew precisely how to make possible for the greater number of people the more easily and straightforward manner toward democratic equality. He fully demonstrated the power of action from taking risks on behalf of the common good that stretches universally, even to the constant demographic change of the USA, inclusive for the good of its forbearing citizens. The whole world thank’s you Nelson and God bless you.
2 Nelson Mandela Commemorative Edition December 2013 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Black Business News
Nelson Mandela Commemorative Edition • December 2013
Contents 2 4 5 10 15 17 19 21
The Publisher’s Commentary... Remembering Nelson Mandela 1918~2013 “It Will Work Out For Your Good”, Rev. Darryl N. Person Remarks of President Barack H. Obama at Memorial Service for the Honoral Nelson Mandela South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma on Nelson Mandela Clinton Foundation Continues Mandela’s Work for Peace and Progress Hon. Thabo Mbeki Remembers Nelson Mandela Commentaries Ambassador Sheila Siwela, Sheila Siwela Global Foundation; Bernard W. Kinsey, Bernard & Shirley Kinsey Foundation; Rosa Whitaker, The Whitaker Group; Dean L. Jones, CPM; Rev. Leon Perry III, Metropolitan Community Church; Maya Angelou, “His Day is Done”
22 23 25 26 29 32 36 36
Bishop Tutu Honors Nelson Mandela TransAfrica Mourns Nelson Mandela Congresswoman Maxine Waters’ Statement Congresswoman Karen Bass’ Statement Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. Remembers Madiba Commentaries (con’t) Mandela: A Life of Triumph and Struggle, Alie Kabba Books to Consider...
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, left, and Graca Machel embrac as they arrive for the official memorial service Christophe Furlong / Getty Images 3 Nelson Mandela Commemorative Edition December 2013 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Remembering Nelson Mandela
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elson Rolihlahla Mandela was born in Transkei, South Africa on July 18, 1918. His father was Hendry Mphakanyiswa of the Tembu Tribe. Mandela himself was educated at University College of
Fort Hare and the University of Witwatersrand where he studied law. He joined the African National Congress in 1944 and was engaged in resistance against the ruling National Party’s apartheid policies after 1948. He went on trial for treason in 1956-1961 and was acquitted in 1961. After the banning of the ANC in 1960, Nelson Mandela argued for the setting up of a military wing within the ANC. In June 1961, the ANC executive considered his proposal on the use of violent tactics and agreed that those members who wished to involve themselves in Mandela’s campaign would not be stopped from doing so by the ANC. This led to the formation of Umkhonto we Sizwe. Mandela was arrested in 1962 and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment with hard labour. In 1963, when many fellow leaders of the ANC and the Umkhonto we Sizwe were arrested, Mandela was brought to stand trial with them for plotting to overthrow the government by violence. His statement from the dock received
1918~2013
considerable international publicity. On June 12, 1964, eight of the accused, including Mandela, were sentenced to life imprisonment. From 1964 to 1982, he was incarcerated at Robben Island Prison, off Cape Town; thereafter, he was at Pollsmoor Prison, nearby on the mainland. During his years in prison, Nelson Mandela’s reputation grew steadily. He was widely accepted as the most significant black leader in South Africa and became a potent symbol of resistance as the antiapartheid movement gathered strength. He consistently refused to compromise his political position to obtain his freedom. Nelson Mandela was released on February 11, 1990. After his release, he plunged himself wholeheartedly into his life’s work, striving to attain the goals he and others had set out almost four decades earlier. In 1991, at the first national conference of the ANC held inside South Africa after the organization had been banned in 1960, Mandela was elected President of the ANC while his lifelong friend and colleague, Oliver Tambo, became the organisation’s National Chairperson. Mandela and South African President F.W. de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to dismantle the country’s apartheid system. In 1994, Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa’s first black president. In 2009, Mandela’s birthday (July 18) was declared Mandela Day to promote global peace and celebrate the South African leader’s legacy. From Les Prix Nobel. The Nobel Prizes 1993, Editor Tore Frängsmyr, [Nobel Foundation], Stockholm, 1994 www.biography.com/people/nelson-mandela-9397017
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Remembering Nelson Mandela excepts from the sermon “It Will Work Out for Your Good”. offered on Sunday, December 8, 2013 by Rev. Darryl M. Person, Associate Pastor Metropolitan Community Church, Chicago, IL USA
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n the stories of scripture there is an agonizing drama. It’s this Old Testament story of Joseph. And Joseph was just a kid who had a dream and was destined to become somebody great. His experience reminds those of us that are privileged to dream, that destiny is always bigger than our dreams. The challenge before us is to learn how to operate in our destiny while we are waiting for our dreams to come true. As we look at Joseph’s life, his experience prompts us to raise several questions that I believe demand an answer. And first up is the question, is God a God who maintains the status quo? This is critical so let me help you here because the testimony of scripture is this, that God’s allegiance is only to God’s will. And therefore God will sometime permit the status quo to be upset and upended in order to effect and execute God’s will. God gave Joseph a preview of his future in a dream that showed him ascending above not
only his brothers but his parents. Now both of these dreams represented a disruption in the status quo and an interruption in time tested tradition. To have the younger to rise above the older, the weaker ascend above the stronger is counter intuitive, counter cultural and non-traditional. Yet it is important for us to note that periodically God will upset the apple cart and put forth an alternative vision of what can be, should be and will be through the power of God. God has a habit of what I will call infinite inversion of turning things upside down so that He might set things right side up. God will use the simple to confound the wise and the weak to humble those who believe they are strong. And many of us here today are blessed and favored because God did not follow the status quo but God changed the order and adjusted the arrangements. A second question that begs for an answer is can see Remembering Mandela on page 6
Remembering Mandela
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the will of God be frustrated and be denied? We have to admit that sometimes it appears so but when we look at the resurrection of Jesus Christ we come into the correct understanding that although it may appear that evil wins, it may appear that death triumphs, that ultimately God will have the last word and it will be good. Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery once they heard about his dream. Their goal was to diminish, deny and decimate any possibility of it coming true. And as a result of their nefarious efforts, Joseph was enslaved, dislocated, sexually harassed, impoverished, incarcerated and forgotten. And yet in each instance God kept using what was designed to destroy him to deliver him. God kept using what was supposed to eliminate him to elevate him. The will of God will ultimately be done. God will employ even that which is intended to frustrate his will to further his will. A third question that arises from this text is how do you handle people who have done you wrong? Because as we travel the tough terrain of this text, Joseph is now in a position where he has to grapple with these questions and face those who have done him wrong. And we wonder how will he now treat those who have mistreated him? Because common wisdom posits that every dog has his day. Common wisdom says that what goes around comes around. And if you want to put a more theological spin on it and it goes like this, you reap exactly what you sow. And let me quickly add that’s at least part of the reason you ought to try to treat everybody right. Because God can fix it so that people you look over today, you’ll have to look to, tomorrow. The people you count out tonight, you will need to count
on next week. Joseph dreamed a dream about his brothers bowing down but he did not see what his brothers would do to him first because every dream lacks details. That’s where faith comes in. That’s where character is constructed. That’s where you learn to rely on God and not simply acknowledge God. It’s while you are pursuing the dream in the absence of details. He didn’t see what his brothers would do to him first nor did he see what they would do to him after they bowed down to him. Their actions had brought him anguish. Their actions had temporarily turned his dreams into a nightmare. It wasn’t right what they did and the question here is how do you handle it when somebody has done you wrong? Is it possible to get beyond being done wrong? And it is here I think Joseph helps us. He looks at his brothers knowing that they have done him wrong and says don’t be afraid. Am I God? Am I in the place of God? You meant it for evil but God meant it for good. And there is a lesson for all of us here today and it is this. You have to reserve the right to interpret your own life experiences. You have to reserve the right to apply your own meaning to what happens in your life. You may not be able to choose what happens or where it happens or how it happens but you do get to choose what it means when it happens. Joseph did not get to choose being thrown in to the pit or being sold into slavery. But looking back on his life he did get to choose what those experiences meant. That’s why he could say “you meant it for evil but God meant it for good.” There is a play on words here because in that one verse there are two sets of meaning parallel, side by side. What you meant and what God meant. They were worried that Joseph
would now act in concert with what they meant by the way they acted. Cause in their frame of meaning Joseph was a victim that had been violated. But from God’s frame work of meaning Joseph was a victor who had already overcome. From their frame work of meaning Joseph had to see himself as cursed but from God’s frame work of meaning Joseph had to see himself as incredibly blessed. From their frame work of meaning Joseph was seen as wounded, but from God’s frame work of meaning he was a walking wonder.
Al th i ht to t Always reserve the right interpret your own experience and draw your own conclusion. You have got to define yourself. You see if Joseph would have followed the metrics of meaning that they had given him, he would have been forever trapped and tormented by thoughts of deprivation, anger, betrayal and bitterness. He would have been consumed with thoughts of revenge and payback. The issue he had to resolve was this and it see Remembering Mandela on page 7
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Remembering Mandela
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is the same for us. Was all that I just went through simply a result of what they meant to do? Was it just about their insecurity, their dislike, their jealousy, their hatred, their hostility? Is my entire life going to be shaped by what they did or what they meant to do? Am I just really being defined by them? Joseph knew what they meant but he had also grown and matured and developed to the point where he now knew what God meant. What
Former President of South Africa Thabo Mbeki pays tribute to Nelson Mandela.
God intended. What God planned and what God purposed for his life. Because God had taken what they did against him and made it work for him. When you focus on what God has done instead of complaining, you will be celebrating. Because what you need to see is, while his brothers were plotting, God was planning. You see what they meant for humiliation, God used for exultation. Joseph tells us that God healed me so I don’t have to
hate you. You know and I know it’s one thing to forgive somebody that you no longer have to deal with. But it’s another thing to have to forgive somebody who is always coming around. But Joseph said God healed me. You see these brothers were nervous now. They were afraid that Joseph would show his hand, play his cards. In Verse 15 notice they never say they are sorry. You can’t be forgiven if you never say you are sorry. But Joseph forgave them. Then the text says he took care of them. God healed Joseph sso he wouldn’t hate them. Because he had been healed, not only had he withheld from them what they d deserved-that’s mercy, but he was w willing to give them what they didn’t d deserve-that’s grace. Joseph’s brothers were afraid of him but JJoseph said don’t be afraid of me. A Am I in the place of God? Because JJoseph realized that their fear was misplaced. They were right to be a afraid but it shouldn’t have been of him. They needed to be concerned a about God. God is your issue. You need to be concerned about what God is going to do. Because Joseph realized that as wrong as they were, JJoseph still was not worthy to judge tthem. That is God’s job. Can I encourage you to not jjudge anyone. Do you know why? Because God alone is Holy. God a alone is righteous. God alone is light and in him there is no darkness. God alone is categorically complete. Morally perfect. God alone is perfect. God alone is the absolute standard of justice. Only God is perfect in thought and in deed. God alone has the right to judge because only God has integrity that is impeccable and perfection that has not been blemished. No mistakes in God. No errors in God. Only God‘s character is beyond corruption. And that’s why only God is qualified to judge. Joseph said, since God has taken
care of me; know I’m going to take care of you. That’s how you know you’re healed. Joseph focused on what God had done to secure his presence and establish his future. God had put him in a high position so that he could save the very ones who had caused him to suffer. Now we might as well be honest, most of us are not at that level. If we somehow manage by the intense grace of God to forgive somebody who has done us wrong, usually we are ready for the Benediction: “May the Lord watch between me and thee while we are absent one from another.” But Joseph was okay because he realized that God had taken care of him, so that he could take care of them. God has taken care of you so that you can take care of somebody else. Joseph made a commitment he made a covenant with them and as a result the entire house was restored. If you want to restore your house, it starts by recognizing that everything done against you, God is going to make it work for you. It starts by letting God heal you. Don’t worry about him healing somebody else. You let him heal you so you don’t have to hate. Joseph believed that there was still a promise hanging over their heads because God had promised their grandfather Abraham that he would multiply his seed and make them into a great nation. God had promised Abraham that out of him all the nations on the planet would be blessed. God had promised to make his descendants as numerous as the sand on the seashore and the stars in the sky. And so God had taken care of Joseph so that he could take care of them. His actions said it’s not right but it’s ok. I’m going to make it anyway. It will work out for your good. God will take care of you. Genesis 50:14-20 NLT
7 Nelson Mandela Commemorative Edition December 2013 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
President Yayi Boni of Benin welcomes President Obama as he a at the soccer stadium for the Nelson Mandela memorial service. (O White House Photo by Pete Souza) ď‚“President and Mrs. Obama, former President and Mrs. Bush, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrive in South Africa, Dec. 10, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
The presidential motorcade encounters stop traffic on a freeway in Johannesburg, South Afr (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
rrives Official
President Obama and President Jacob Zuma of South Africa wait to take the stage in a tunnel at the soccer stadium. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
ped rica.
President Obama greets security personnel from South Africa as he waits to take the stage at the memorial service for Nelson Mandela. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/photogallery/president-obamaattends-nelson-mandela-memorial-service
Remarks by President Obama at the Memorial Service for the Honorable Nelson Mandela
U.S. President Barack H. Obama
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hank you. (Applause.) Thank you so much. Thank you. To Graça Machel and the Mandela family; to President Zuma and members of the government; to heads of states and government, past and present; distinguished guests -- it is a singular honor to be with you today, to celebrate a life like no other. To the people of
South Africa -- (applause) -- people of every race and walk of life -- the world thanks you for sharing Nelson Mandela with us. His struggle was your struggle. His triumph was your triumph. Your dignity and your hope found expression in his life. And your freedom, your democracy is his cherished legacy. It is hard to eulogize any man -- to
capture in words not just the facts and the dates that make a life, but the essential truth of a person -their private joys and sorrows; the quiet moments and unique qualities that illuminate someone’s soul. How much harder to do so for a giant of history, who moved a nation see Obama Memorial on page 11
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Obama Memorial to Mandela from page 10
toward justice, and in the process moved billions around the world. Born during World War I, far from the corridors of power, a boy raised herding cattle and tutored by the elders of his Thembu tribe, Madiba would emerge as the last great liberator of the 20th century. Like Gandhi, he would lead a resistance movement -- a movement that at its start had little prospect for success. Like Dr. King, he would give potent voice to the claims of the oppressed and the moral necessity of racial justice. He would endure a brutal imprisonment that began in the time of Kennedy and Khrushchev, and reached the final days of the
Former President and Mrs. Mbeki
Cold War. Emerging from prison, without the force of arms, he would -- like Abraham Lincoln -- hold his country together when it threatened to break apart. And like America’s Founding Fathers, he would erect a constitutional order to preserve freedom for future generations -a commitment to democracy and rule of law ratified not only by his election, but by his willingness to step down from power after only one term.
Given the sweep of his life, the scope of his accomplishments, the adoration that he so rightly earned, it’s tempting I think to remember Nelson Mandela as an icon, smiling and serene, detached from the tawdry affairs of lesser men. But Madiba himself strongly resisted Former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan with such a lifeless portrait. Archbishop Tutu (Applause.) Instead, But like other early giants of the Madiba insisted on ANC -- the Sisulus and Tambos -sharing with us his doubts and his fears; his miscalculations along Madiba disciplined his anger and with his victories. “I am not a saint,” channeled his desire to fight into he said, “unless you think of a saint organization, and platforms, and strategies for action, so men and as a sinner who keeps on trying.” It was precisely because he could women could stand up for their admit to imperfection -- because he God-given dignity. Moreover, he could be so full of good humor, even accepted the consequences of his mischief, despite the heavy burdens actions, knowing that standing up he carried -- that we loved him so. to powerful interests and injustice He was not a bust made of marble; carries a price. “I have fought he was a man of flesh and blood -- against white domination and I have a son and a husband, a father and a friend. And that’s why we learned so much from him, and that’s why we can learn from him still. For nothing he achieved was inevitable. In the arc of his life, we see a man who earned his place in history through struggle and shrewdness, and persistence and faith. He tells us what is possible not just in the pages of history books, but in our own lives as well. Mandela showed us the power of action; of taking risks on behalf of our ideals. Perhaps Madiba was right that he inherited, “a proud rebelliousness, a stubborn sense of fairness” from his father. And Mrs. Graça Machel, widow of Nelson Mandela we know he shared with millions of black and colored South Africans the anger born of, “a thousand slights, fought against black domination. a thousand indignities, a thousand I’ve cherished the ideal of a unremembered moments…a desire democratic and free society in which to fight the system that imprisoned all persons live together in harmony my people,” he said. see Obama Memorial on page 12
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Obama Memorial to Mandela
ideas cannot be contained by prison walls, or extinguished by a sniper’s from page 11 bullet. He turned his trial into an indictment of apartheid because of his eloquence and his passion, and [with] equal opportunities. It but also because of his training as is an ideal which I hope to live for an advocate. He used decades in and to achieve. But if needs be, it prison to sharpen his arguments, is an ideal for which I am prepared but also to spread his thirst for to die.” (Applause.) knowledge to others in the movement. And he learned the language and the customs of his oppressor so that one day he might b e t t e r convey to them how their own Mrs. Winnie Mandela, widow of Nelson Mandela freedom greets Archbishop Tutu depend upon his. (Applause.) Mandela taught us the power of Mandela demonstrated that action, but he also taught us the action and ideas are not enough. power of ideas; the importance of No matter how right, they must be reason and arguments; the need to chiseled into law and institutions. study not only those who you agree He was practical, testing his beliefs against the hard surface of circumstance and history. On core principles he was unyielding, which is why he could rebuff offers of unconditional r e l e a s e , reminding the Apartheid regime that “prisoners cannot enter into Vice President and Mrs. Biden register their condolences contracts.” at South African Embassy in Washington, DC But as he showed in painstaking negotiations with, but also those who you don’t to transfer power and draft new laws, agree with. He understood that
he was not afraid to compromise for the sake of a larger goal. And because he was not only a leader of a movement but a skillful politician, the Constitution that emerged was worthy of this multiracial democracy, true to his vision of laws that protect minority as well as majority rights, and the precious freedoms of every South African. And finally, Mandela understood the ties that bind the human spirit. There is a word in South Africa -Ubuntu -- (applause) -- a word that captures Mandela’s greatest gift: his recognition that we are all bound together in ways that are invisible to the eye; that there is a oneness to humanity; that we achieve ourselves by sharing ourselves with others, and caring for those around us. We can never know how much of this sense was innate in him, or how much was shaped in a dark and solitary cell. But we remember the gestures, large and small -introducing his jailers as honored guests at his inauguration; taking a pitch in a Springbok uniform; turning his family’s heartbreak into a call to confront HIV/AIDS -- that revealed the depth of his empathy and his understanding. He not only embodied Ubuntu, he taught millions to find that truth within themselves. It took a man like Madiba to free not just the prisoner, but the jailer as well -- (applause) -- to show that you must trust others so that they may trust you; to teach that reconciliation is not a matter of ignoring a cruel past, but a means of confronting it with inclusion and generosity and truth. He changed laws, but he also changed hearts. For the people of South Africa, for those he inspired around the globe, Madiba’s passing is rightly a time of mourning, and a time to celebrate a heroic life. But I believe see Obama Memorial on page 13
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Obama Memorial to Mandela from page 12
it should also prompt in each of us a time for self-reflection. With honesty, regardless of our station or our circumstance, we must ask: How well have I applied his lessons in my own life? It’s a question I ask myself, as a man and as a President. We know that, like South Africa, the United States had to overcome centuries of racial subjugation. As was true here, it took sacrifice -the sacrifice of countless people, known and unknown, to see the dawn of a new day. Michelle and
South Africans listen as President Obama delivers remarks at the Nelson Mandela memorial service. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) View the service on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf4hOxG0J2I
the world today, we still see children suffering from hunger and disease.
and how they worship, and who they love. That is happening today. (Applause.)
And so we, too, must act on
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter with former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan Elmond Jiyane / GCIS via AFP - Getty Images
I are beneficiaries of that struggle. (Applause.) But in America, and in South Africa, and in countries all around the globe, we cannot allow our progress to cloud the fact that our work is not yet done. The struggles that follow the victory of formal equality or universal franchise may not be as filled with drama and moral clarity as those that came before, but they are no less important. For around
We still see run-down schools. U.S. President Barack Obama pays his respect to Nelson We still Mandela’s widow Graça Machel after his speech at the see young memorial service. Kai Pfaffenbach / Reuters p e o p l e without prospects for the future. behalf of justice. We, too, must Around the world today, men and act on behalf of peace. There women are still imprisoned for are too many people who happily their political beliefs, and are still embrace Madiba’s legacy of racial persecuted for what they look like, see Obama Memorial on page 14
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President Obama greets South Africans as he exits the field of the soccer stadium. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Obama Memorial to Mandela from page 13
reconciliation, but passionately resist even modest reforms that would challenge chronic poverty and growing inequality. There are too many leaders who claim solidarity with Madiba’s struggle for freedom, but do not tolerate dissent from their own people. (Applause.) And there are too many of us on the sidelines, comfortable in complacency or cynicism when our voices must be heard. The questions we face today -how to promote equality and justice; how to uphold freedom and human rights; how to end conflict and sectarian war -- these things do not have easy answers. But there were no easy answers in front of that child born in World War I. Nelson Mandela reminds us that it always seems impossible until it is done.
South Africa shows that is true. South Africa shows we can change, that we can choose a world defined not by our differences, but by our common hopes. We can choose a world defined not by conflict, but by peace and justice and opportunity. We will never see the likes of Nelson Mandela again. But let me say to the young people of Africa and the young people around the world -- you, too, can make his life’s work your own. Over 30 years ago, while still a student, I learned of Nelson Mandela and the struggles taking place in this beautiful land, and it stirred something in me. It woke me up to my responsibilities to others and to myself, and it set me on an improbable journey that finds me here today. And while I will always fall short of Madiba’s example, he makes me want to be a better man. (Applause.) He speaks to what’s best inside us. After this great liberator is laid to
rest, and when we have returned to our cities and villages and rejoined our daily routines, let us search for his strength. Let us search for his largeness of spirit somewhere inside of ourselves. And when the night grows dark, when injustice weighs heavy on our hearts, when our best-laid plans seem beyond our reach, let us think of Madiba and the words that brought him comfort within the four walls of his cell: “It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.” What a magnificent soul it was. We will miss him deeply. May God bless the memory of Nelson Mandela. May God bless the people of South Africa. (Applause.) www.whitehouse.gov/the-pressoffice/2013/12/10/remarks-presidentobama-memorial-service-formersouth-african-president-
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South African President Zuma on Nelson Mandela: ‘Our People Have Lost a Father’
M
y Fellow South Africans, Our beloved Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the founding President of our democratic nation has departed. He passed on peacefully in the company of his family around 20h50 (8:50 p.m.) on the 5th of December 2013. He is now resting. He is now at peace. Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father. Although we knew that this day would come, nothing can diminish our sense of a profound and enduring loss. His tireless struggle for freedom earned him the respect of the world. His humility, his compassion, and his humanity earned him their love. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Mandela family. To them we owe a debt of gratitude. They have sacrificed much and endured much so that our people could be free. Our thoughts are with his wife Mrs. Graca Machel, his former wife Ms Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, with his children, his grand-children, his great grand-children and the entire family. Our thoughts are with his friends,
comrades and colleagues who fought alongside Madiba over the course of a lifetime of struggle. Our thoughts are with the South African people who today mourn
great was precisely what made him human. We saw in him what we seek in ourselves. The icon of the anti-apartheid movement and international human
President Jacob Zuma, Republic of South Africa
the loss of the one person who, more than any other, came to embody their sense of a common nationhood. Our thoughts are with the millions of people across the world who embraced Madiba as their own, and who saw his cause as their cause. This is the moment of our deepest sorrow. Our nation has lost its greatest son. Yet, what made Nelson Mandela
rights leader died Thursday. He was 95 years old. And in him we saw so much of ourselves. Fellow South Africans, Nelson Mandela brought us together, and it is together that we will bid him farewell. Our beloved Madiba will be accorded a State Funeral. I have ordered that all flags of the Republic of South Africa be lowered see Zuma on Mandela on page 17
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with Whitney Houston
with Mr. & Mrs. Will Smith and Mr. & Mrs. Denzel Washington
with BeyoncĂŠ
with Prince Charles of England
with the Black-Eyed Peas with Sidney Poitier
with Morgan Freeman
with President Castro with India Arie
with Rev. Jackson, Sr.
Zuma on Mandela
from page 15
to half-mast from tomorrow, 6 December, and to remain at halfmast until after the funeral. As we gather to pay our last respects, let us conduct ourselves
with the dignity and respect that Madiba personified. Let us be mindful of his wishes and the wishes of his family. As we gather, wherever we are in the country and wherever we are in the world, let us recall the values for which Madiba fought. Let us reaffirm his vision of a society in which none is exploited, oppressed or dispossessed by another. Let us commit ourselves to strive together – sparing neither strength nor courage – to build a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa. Let us express, each in our own way, the deep gratitude we feel for a life spent in service of the people of this country and in the cause of
humanity. This is indeed the moment of our deepest sorrow. Yet it must also be the moment of our greatest determination. A determination to live as Madiba has lived, to strive as Madiba has strived and to not rest until we have realised his vision of a truly united South Africa, a peaceful and prosperous Africa, and a better world. We will always love you Madiba! May your soul rest in peace. God Bless Africa. Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika. http://worldnews.nbcnews. com/_news/2013/12/05/21776914south-african-president-zuma-onnelson-mandela-our-people-have-losta-father?lite
Support Madiba’s Lifetime of Work for Peace and Progress Presidents Clinton and Obama with Chelsea Clinton at Nandela Memorial
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he world has lost one of its most important leaders. And we have lost a true friend. Over the past 20 years, over the course of our friendship with Nelson Mandela, we have had the chance to witness the power of his commitment to peace, reconciliation, personal kindness,
and the possibilities of each new day. We are honored to join with Graça, her family, and his foundation to help capture the outpouring of support that has arisen in his memory. At their request, the Clinton Foundation will collect donations to help preserve Nelson Mandela’s
legacy and further his work. 100% of the proceeds will be directed to the Centre of Memory at the Nelson Mandela Foundation. All of us are living in a better world because of the life that Madiba lived. It is up to us now to continue his work, to build a world with more compassion and fewer adversaries, and to approach each new day with a full and grateful heart.
– Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton https://re.clintonfoundation.org/ sslpage.aspx?pid=4671
17 Nelson Mandela Commemorative Edition December 2013 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
with Pope John Paul II
with Hon. Hillary Clinton
with Whoppie Goldberg
with Charlize Theron
with The Spice Girls & Prince Charles
with Bono
The Honorable Thabo Mbeki on the Passing of Nelson Mandela
Former Presidents of the Republic of South Africa FW De Klerk, Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki in Cape Town
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arlier tonight, my wife Zanele and I learnt with immense distress and profound sadness of the passing away of one of the greatest sons of our people, Esteemed Member of the Order of Mapungubwe and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Isithwalandwe President Nelson Mandela. His departure represents a very sad moment of grief for his family. But it also constitutes a personal loss for us because over many decades, he served both as our guide and one of our fathers. President Mandela, Madiba, and his generation of freedom fighters walked their long walk and made enormous sacrifices which
eventually led to our freedom in 1994. His passing signals the end of an historic era represented by the heroic deeds of his generation. Thus, President Mandela’s departure demands of those of us who remain, South Africans and all Africans on the rest of our Continent, that we commit ourselves selflessly to address the many challenges we face. President Mandela and his generation discovered the mission of their generation. They were at all times faithful to it, as a result of which they fulfilled it. As we mourn President Mandela’s passing we must ask ourselves the
fundamental question – what shall we do to respond to the tasks of building a democratic, non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous South Africa, a people centred society free of hunger, poverty, disease and inequality, as well as Africa’s renaissance, to whose attainment President Nelson Mandela dedicated his whole life? We convey our heartfelt condolences to his dear wife, Graça Machel, and the rest of his entire family. http://nehandaradio. com/2013/12/06/thabo-mbekisstatement-on-the-death-ofmandela
19 Nelson Mandela Commemorative Edition December 2013 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
with Oprah Winfrey
with Vice President de Klerk
with Michael Jackson
with President George Bush
with Muhammad Ali
with Hon. Kofi Annan
with President Jimmy Carter
with Prime Minister Thatcher
with Princess Diana of England
with Naomi Campbell
with Harry Belefonte
with President H.W. Bush
Commentaries on the Life of Nelson Mandela Ambassador Sheila Siwela
Former ZambianAmbassador to the USA Sheila Siwela Foundation A tribute to our beloved Nelson Madiba Mandela. arewell to a visionary icon who came into this world armed with courage, love ,hope and a dislike for human injustice. A man who after 27 years of withdrawal from the world emerged into this world more loving, more courageous, more hopeful and an unparalleled forgiving spirit. I sum up my tribute to Madiba by quoting what a similar icon said ”my life is my message” ( Mahatma Gandhi ). Indeed, Madiba’s life is a message to all mankind.
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Bernard W. Kinsey The Bernard & Shirley Kinsey Foundation for the Arts & Education
Celebrating the Remarkable Life of Nelson Mandela. ith the burial of Nelson Mandela on Sunday, I have been reflecting on his incomparable impact on the world, and the incredible blessing I was given in getting to know him. Those that know me, know that I often speak of legacy, and there is none greater than that of Mandela in my opinion. I had the honor of first meeting President Mandela in the early ‘90’s as part of a committee that supported his national fundraising tour. I am very proud that the Los Angeles committee helped him raise over $1.2 million, more than any other city on his cross-
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country tour. In 1993, as a result of the successes of the Rebuild Los Angeles effort of which I was co-chair, a private meeting was organized, where Mandela probed us on how to replicate our model to attract business investment to South African Townships. He subsequently invited me to South Africa in 1994 to consult his cabinet. In my interactions with the giant that is Nelson Mandela, I was always in awe of his grace and poise. The principle, strength, courage, and resolve that his life embodied is superhuman. We must all celebrate and honor the life of Nelson Mandela with our actions, remembering that there is still a great deal to stand and fight for. Inequality still abounds all over the world, and if we do not address it and do what we can with what we have, we are effectively saying that it’s ok. We salute the life and legacy of Madiba Nelson Mandela, champion of freedom and justice, a truly extraordinary example from which we have all been blessed.
Rosa Whitaker President/CEO The Whitaker Group
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e was a native son of South Africa, but that nation will surely pardon the rest of the world for claiming Nelson Mandela as one of our own as well. President Mandela was the champion, the avenger, the soldier and the statesman for all who despise injustice, having courageously put his own liberty and life on the line so that his oppressed countrymen and women could breathe free. I first heard of him when I was in
college and already engaged in the fight to end apartheid in that beautiful country on Africa’s southern tip. As a member of my university’s first South African Divestment Coalition in the 70’s, I drew upon Mr. Mandela’s commitment to fuel my own. Later, as the first Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Africa, I was honored to meet the heroic Mr. Mandela in person with President Clinton. Though President Mandela
would not have remembered it, I shall never forget the warm embrace he gave me once -- an affectionate gesture that I found surprising until I realized that he had mistaken me for Oprah Winfrey. Although humankind is poorer for the loss of Mr. Mandela, the loss is mitigated by the joy and privilege of having had him in our midst. Many aspire to leave the world better than they found it. Nelson Mandela actually did it, fortifying freedom, opportunity and justice.
Dean L. Jones, C.P.M. UNIVERSAL LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL irth is not a cause for any person to struggle numerous generations to attain freedom from tyranny, exploitation, and oppression egregiously enforced by an unprincipled racial government power. By the grace of heavenly thinking and action, Nelson Mandela (Madiba) saw his role to accept a permanent state of racial inferiority, or to defy the Government that ruled 70%
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see Commentaries on page 32
21 Nelson Mandela Commemorative Edition December 2013 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Honoring the Memory of Nelson Mandela Desmond Tutu, Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation
Bishop Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela
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elson Mandela passed away at the age of 95 following complications from a persistent lung infection. As the iconic leader of the African National Congress, his determination in the fight against apartheid inspired his followers to persevere until they had achieved victory. Today, millions around the world who are
struggling for freedom are inspired anew by his example. But perhaps his greatest achievement may have been the spirit of reconciliation that he fostered after being elected President of South Africa. Mandela became actively involved in the anti-apartheid movement and joined the African National Congress in 1942. For 20
years, he directed a campaign of defiance against the South African government and its racist policies. In 1994, Mandela was inaugurated as the country’s first black president. For his activities opposing apartheid, he spent 27 years in prison, including 18 years at the notorious Robben Island facility. In No Future Without Forgiveness, Desmond Tutu wrote of that time, “Those twenty-seven years were the fires of the furnace that tempered his steel, that removed the dross. Perhaps without that suffering, he would have been less able to be as compassionate and magnanimous as he turned out to be. And that suffering on behalf of others gave him an authority and credibility that can be provided by nothing else in quite the same way.” His ability to forgive his tormentors was demonstrated during his inauguration when he invited his white jailer to attend as his honored guest. This attitude of forgiveness helped to transition the country peacefully to a democracy whose constitution protected the rights of all South Africans. South Africa still has some distance to go to achieve full economic and political balance among its citizens. The first generation of South Africans who have grown up free of apartheid is now entering adulthood. The example set by Nelson Mandela will certainly serve as a powerful guide for how they will use their freedom to create their country’s future. www.tutufoundationusa. org/2013/12/honoring-the-memoryof-nelson-mandela
22 Nelson Mandela Commemorative Edition December 2013 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
TransAfrica Mourns Nelson Mandela
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he entire TransAfrica family is saddened to learn of the loss of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela today. We wish to take this opportunity to express our sincere condolences to the people of South Africa and the Mandela family. The African World has lost an unparalleled leader and hero. Nelson Mandela inspired people in every corner of the globe, and that is why the loss of this great man echoes across the world. Nelson Mandela—Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and first president of a multi-racial democratic South Africa—persevered and inspired others in the pursuit of truth and justice until his final days. Whether it was leading the struggle against a p a r t h e i d r e g i m e , championing the cause of people with HIV/AIDS, or challenging the great powers of the globe to build a better world: Mandela continuously gave us strength to speak truth to power. “We will continue to carry on Mandela’s legacy of courageous activism. Even when unjustly imprisonment on Robben Island by the apartheid government, he and his fellow activists in the liberation movement inspired us all with their vision of a free, just and democratic South Africa,” said Nicole Lee,
President of TransAfrica. “No obstacle was too great for Nelson Mandela in his quest for a brighter tomorrow. As we work to change powerful systems that perpetuate economic and social injustice, we are reminded of Madiba’s courage.” The Chair of TransAfrica’s Board of Directors, actor and activist Danny Glover, said: “Today I join with the people of South Africa and many millions around the world in mourning the loss of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. Let not sadness overcome us; let us rejoice in his life-long sacrifice for freedom, and retain his living memory as we
remain forever vigilant in sustaining freedom, democracy and human dignity. Madiba treated me like a son and I am forever grateful for his personal guidance and wisdom.” To Mandela, attaining a free and justice South Africa did not mean taking over power and forgetting the poor and disenfranchised. Both during his time in office and
out, Mandela worked tirelessly to resolve conflicts within the African continent. Throughout his life, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela embodied the sentiment “another world is possible” and this was most eloquently illustrated with his statement at the Rivonia Trial in April 1964: “During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people, 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 it needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” Even in his final days M a n d e l a challenges us: “If we are to stop the AIDS epidemic from expanding we need to break the cycle of new HIV infections. All of us working together with government, communities and civil society can make the difference that is needed. Together we have the power to change the course of destiny.” Thank you Madiba for your courage and commitment! A Lutta Continua!! http://transafrica.org
23 Nelson Mandela Commemorative Edition December 2013 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
with wife Graรงa Machel
with Will Smith
with President Bill Clinton
with Chef Gordon Ramsey with Queen Elizabeth
with First Lady Michelle Obama
with Bishop Desmond Tutu
Congresswoman Waters’ Statement on the Passing of Nelson Mandela
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ongresswoman Waters’ (D-CAlif) issued the following statement regarding the passing of Nelson Mandela. “I am deeply saddened by the death of former South African President Nelson Mandela. The people of South Africa have lost a leader and the world has lost an icon. His death is a loss to his family, to the country of South Africa and to the world. “After spending an unjust 27 years in prison, Nelson Mandela was the first black South African to be elected President in the first multi-racial election in South Africa’s history. President Mandela used his administration to dismantle the disdainful legacy of apartheid, tackle institutional racism and begin the process of racial reconciliation. Beginning with his time as the founder of the African National Congress Youth League and extending beyond his tenure as President of South Africa, Mandela led the anti-apartheid movement and inspired a generation of activists. “When I reflect upon my own career in public service, I am among that generation of protestors who have been inspired by President Mandela’s courage, dedication and wisdom. I also consider myself among those who have had the distinct honor and privilege of knowing him and calling him a friend. “While a member of the California State Assembly, the effort to end apartheid in South Africa was one of the most important and formative
moments of my political career. This effort culminated in the 1986 passage of Assembly Bill 134, legislation that allowed California to divest $12 billion in state pension funds tied to the apartheid regime in South Africa. In 1990, I chaired the welcome committee for the Los Angeles leg of his eight-city tour of the United States, and I helped organize a concert and rally that was filled to capacity at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. “I traveled with the official American delegation to attend the inauguration of Nelson Mandela as President of South Africa in 1994; and in 1998, I was honored to welcome President Mandela to the United States once again, this time
to receive the Congressional Gold Medal. “President Mandela was an inspiration to millions of people, both in South Africa and throughout the world. At 95 years old, he lived a full and purposeful life, and truly changed the world with his dedication to freedom, equality, and human rights. He was not only an extraordinary gift to South Africa, but a gift to humankind. President Mandela will truly be missed. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Graca Machel, his children and grandchildren.” http://waters.house.gov/ news/documentsingle. aspx?DocumentID=363639
Rep. Maxine Waters greets Nelson Mandela
25 Nelson Mandela Commemorative Edition December 2013 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Congresswoman Bass’ Statement on the Passing of Nelson Mandela
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ongressmember Karen Bass (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Africa, released the following statement on the passing of former South African President and global leader, Nelson Mandela. “Today I join my fellow members of Congress and the intentional community in mourning the loss of a great global leader and icon President Nelson Mandela. President Mandela’s struggle and sacrifice taught us that injustice and oppression must be extinguished no matter where it may exist and that protest, dialogue, forgiveness and reconciliation and are fundamental and necessary to ourselves and society. “President Mandela’s fight for freedom was a personal inspiration for me. I joined countless other Americans in fighting for his freedom and for ending apartheid in South Africa. During the 27 years he spent imprisoned on Robben Island, he never lost hope and never lost his humanity. I visited Robben Island and saw the 8-by-7-foot cell he lived in. In the 1970’s and 1980’s, President Mandela’s example taught me that although the struggle for social and economic justice might take many years, it was my responsibility to continue that fight, and if he could keep his focus on these values, then I certainly can also. “For decades, President Mandela’s grace, his humility and
self-sacrifice showed to the world his great depth and strength of character. He exemplified and left no doubt that forgiveness can be transformative beyond all measure. Nelson Mandela’s struggle embodied what was at stake, that his country, deeply divided over the oppressive and brutal polices
intimidation, and violence. “President Mandela will remain an inspirational figure, to me and a generation of us who, though far from South Africa, took up the cause to fight against apartheid to ensure our nation played its part to ended policies that supported South Africa’s oppressive government.
of apartheid, had no choice but to change. “In life President Mandela taught us what it means to forgive and in death, he reminds us that the struggle for justice, freedom and peace must continue until all people no matter where they are born, or their economic status, their religion, their sexuality, or their ethnicity must be free live from persecution,
“In the days, weeks and years ahead, let us celebrate President Nelson Mandela’s life, draw strength from the many lessons he taught us through his sacrifice and leadership and let us forever be reminded that his struggle, South Africa’s struggle is our global struggle.” http://bass.house.gov/pressrelease/passing-south-africanpresident-nelson-mandela
26 Nelson Mandela Commemorative Edition December 2013 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Mourners sign condolence book in Cape Town.
27 Nelson Mandela Commemorative Edition December 2013 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
A man places flowers on tributes outside the home of former president Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Dec. 8. Matt Dunham / AP
Rugby Championship
Archbishop Desmond Tutu shakes hands with a young man during a mass at St. George’s Cathedral in Cape Town. Keaton Anderson, 10, poses for a photograph for his father Dijon Anderson, of Bowie, Md., as they visit the statue of Nelson Mandela at the South African Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Jonathan Jackson and Rev. Jesse L. Jac
Mandela Showed the Power of Unearned Suffering
tooth would leave all blind and toothless. Political power can come from the support of voters. Entertainment power comes from the applause of crowds. Economic power comes from money, By Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. military power from guns. But those who serve and eaders will gather from across sacrifice for a cause greater than the world to pay tribute to themselves accrue power from Nelson Mandela this week, their honor, their example, and their just as South Africans gather from inspiration. Dr. King argued that this across the country to say goodbye power is available to all of us. All of us cannot be famous or well known. to “Madiba.” Nelson Mandela had no financial All of us cannot be great, but all of fortune. He led no armies, won no us can serve. In celebrating Mandela, we focus victories on the battlefield. He was, on his willingness to forgive, but pay perhaps, at his most powerful when he was not in the presidential office too little attention to those who did the persecution or what needed to but in a cell at Robben Island. Mandela, like Jesus, Gandhi and be forgiven. The same is true of Dr. Dr. Martin Luther King, met external King. We focus on his willingness prosecution with internal character, to sacrifice, but less on who forced indomitable will and stoic sacrifice. that sacrifice. Against apartheid, Mandela and Jailed for 27 years, he spent his time learning and teaching, the African National Congress had even mastering the language few allies in the West. Fixated on of his oppressors to be able to the Cold War, America and Britain communicate with them. He showed appreciated the “stability” and antithe power of unearned suffering communism offered by the apartheid and untarnished vision. He wouldn’t regime. Ronald Reagan adopted allow his persecutors to bring him “constructive engagement” with down to their level. He knew that apartheid while dismissing Mandela an eye for an eye and a tooth for a as a communist and adding the African National Congress to the terrorist list. America turned, but only because Americans, and particularly African Americans, exposed and opposed the moral disgrace of constructive engagement with apartheid. Dr. King and Nelson Mandela were both arrested in 1962. Each was aware of the other. Each saw their national struggle in an international context. Both were living under apartheid. Both were facing the same economic, political and exploitative alliances. Both were attacked as communists and terrorists. In America, Dr. King rallied a minority that was locked out. In South Africa, Mandela roused the vast majority.
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kson, Sr. with Nelson Mandela
The Civil Rights Movement in the U.S. advanced first. We used our new strength to help end apartheid in South Africa. We had the right to vote, to petition and to protest. Harry Belafonte engaged South African artists and musicians to spread the word. TransAfrica and the Free South Africa Movement organized civil disobedience that led to jailings for over a year. Randall Robinson, Roger Wilkins, Mary Berry, Rev. Walter Fauntroy and Eleanor Holmes Norton inspired thousands to join the protests. Rep Barbara Lee, Ronald Dellums and Maxine Waters pushed the fight for sanctions in the Congress. The union movement — led by Bill Lucy and the Coalition for Black Trade Unions, by the American Federation of State, Country and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and by the AFL/CIO — mobilized to demand change. In 1984 and 1988, my presidential campaigns called for sanctions on South Africa as a rogue nation. At the Democratic conventions, I called our kinship with South Africa a moral disgrace, forcing Democrats finally to speak clearly. As legislators began to get arrested in front of the South African embassy, colleges and pension funds began to disinvest. Businesses felt the heat. Finally, Congress overturned a Reagan veto and imposed sanctions. And the apartheid regime realized that the future was largely in the hands and heart of Nelson Mandela. Nelson Mandela and Dr. King are no longer here to lead, but their example and their vision continue to show the way. Now in the U.S. and in South Africa, apartheid has been defeated, but racial exclusion is supplanted by economic disparity. We are free but not equal. There is a growing gulf in income, opportunity, education, health care and access to capital. Nelson Mandela and Dr. King led us a long way, but we have miles to go before we rest.
President Obama talks with the First Lady with other world leaders seated nearby. In the background are National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice, Valerie Jarrett, and Attorney General Eric Holder. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Military officers carry the coffin of Nelson Mandela to the Union Buildings.
Mandela’s body lies in state in Pretoria visited by Ms. Winnie Mandela, family members, world leaders, celebrities and admirers. Ms. Mandela said “There is no greater reward than the one we both had of a liberated South Africa.” Toronto Star, Huffington Post
Mandela’s Body Lies in State in Pretoria
Naomi Campbell
Commentaries on the Life of Nelson Mandela of its South African population-void of any socioeconomic voice. The world’s social order praises and is conscientiously better for his unselfish and valiant work in choosing the latter of these two choices. I am ever so moved of just how much President Nelson Mandela cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which ALL individuals could live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. His great works align itself with being a miracle of healing and deliverance. He is quoted as saying; “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.” The 1963-64 Rivonia trial served to eliminate Madiba, along with seven men, from their antiapartheid movement who together were unreasonably accused of conspiracy and sabotage. Although given a life sentence, Madiba literally raised from the deadly imposed penitentiary dictate after a score and seven years of political incarceration to transparently form a newly found freedom, liberty and justice for ALL South Africans, thereby being nothing short of a miracle. Equally in the first century, Jesus and the twelve disciples helped to deliver Jewish people from a cruel secular government, where in the twentieth century these eight South African devotees endured longsuffering to deliver their people from analogous repression. Although not referred to as disciples, their names are Ahmed Kathrada, Andrew Mlangeni, Dennis Goldberg, Elias Motsoaledi, Gowan Mbeki, Nelson Mandela, Raymond Mhlaba, and Walter Sisulu.
Like the Prince of Peace - Jesus Christ, Madiba achieved liberation for a multitude of people without bloodshed and civil clash against a merciless government. Think about how Christian doctrine addresses where Man was separated from God through Adam’s sin, but reconciled back to God through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice. Madiba sacrificed his life to ultimately dismantle the system of apartheid through the spirit of reconciliation. Madiba thereby performed a national healing miracle virtually eliminating malnutrition and diseases that included tuberculosis, pellagra, kwashiorkor, gastro-enteritis, and scurvy with infant mortality being one of the highest in the world. Biblically, the time of the Second Coming, Arrival, or Presence of Christ refers to the return of Jesus to Earth. The time of this event is not revealed, whereas the world should be ready at all times, particularly in the midst of wars to help reconcile the world into one community. The world witnessed Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi of India successfully crusade for Indian independence through nonviolence and now once again like Jesus in Northern Africa from the life work of Madiba in Southern Africa. Madiba -- Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela indisputably achieved favorable outcomes through nonviolence, just as a Second Coming of the Savior. He was schooled for royalty and the law, became a political activist, sent to prison by his oppressors, emerged a democratically elected President, and honored as a scholar and statesman by the world. Recognized to live as a man of honesty, humor, and humility his earthly Arrival saved a country from
the wrongful extremes of apartheid peacefully to democracy, when hardly any believed it could be done. His Presence was distinguished worldwide yielding a mindset for ALL to contemplate, thereby leaving no room for uncertainty to earmark a global annual celebration of his July 18th birthday as ‘Mandela Day’.
Rev. Leon Perry, III Senior Pastor, Metropolitan Community Church Founder, Where Eagles Soar Ministries
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or all eternity, much farther back than our finite minds can conceive, every miracle wrought by God was performed in the presence of, and with, His Son and the heavenly hosts that are from everlasting to everlasting. However, after the creation of the earth and its inhabitants and man,
the crowing glory of God’s creation, the miracles God has wrought have been in the presence of, and with man. The miracle of of the preservation of man and beast was a joint effort, God supplied the water on the earth, but Noah built the Ark. While it was God who raised the son of the widow from death, it was the man Elijah that stretched his body across the boy and breathed into him the breath of life.
32 Nelson Mandela Commemorative Edition December 2013 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Commentaries on the Life of Nelson Mandela God has, in our times, continued to show His power, compassion, forgiveness through people of faith. Notably among those used was Nelson Mandela. This human dynamo of spiritual power was used time and time again as he walked in obedience of God and led a prayerful life of humility, dedication and supplication. I join with the millions to say, Thank you for Mandela’s life and legacy. The Vision Continues . . . because God Reigns.
Maya Angelow “HIS DAY IS DONE” His day is done. Is done. The news came on the wings of a wind, reluctant to carry its burden. Nelson Mandela’s day is done. The news, expected and still unwelcome, reached us in the United States, and suddenly our world became somber. Our skies were leadened. His day is done. We see you, South African Gayle King, Stedman Graham, Oprah Winfrey and Sir Richard Branson pay their respects at Nelson Mandela Funeral. RTV
people standing speechless at the slamming of that final door through which no traveler returns. Our spirits reach out to you Bantu, Zulu, Xhosa, Boer. We think of you and your son of Africa, your father, your one more wonder of the world. We send our souls to you as you reflect upon your David armed with a mere stone, facing down the mighty Goliath. Your man of strength, Gideon, emerging triumphant. Although born into the brutal embrace of Apartheid, scarred by the savage atmosphere of racism, unjustly imprisoned in the bloody maws of South African dungeons. Would the man survive? Could the man survive? His answer strengthened men and women around the world. In the Alamo, in San Antonio, Texas, on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, in Chicago’s Loop, in New Orleans Mardi Gras, in New York City’s Times Square, we watched as the hope of Africa sprang through the prison’s doors.
His stupendous heart intact, his gargantuan will hale and hearty. He had not been crippled by brutes, nor was his passion for the rights of human beings diminished by twentyseven years of imprisonment. Even here in America, we felt the cool, refreshing breeze of freedom. When Nelson Mandela took the seat of Presidency in his country where formerly he was not even allowed to vote we were enlarged by tears of pride, as we saw Nelson Mandela’s former prison guards invited, courteously, by him to watch from the front rows his inauguration. We saw him accept the world’s award in Norway with the grace and gratitude of the Solon in Ancient Roman Courts, and the confidence of African Chiefs from ancient royal stools. No sun outlasts its sunset, but it will rise again and bring the dawn. Yes, Mandela’s day is done, yet we, his inheritors, will open the gates wider for reconciliation, and we will respond generously to the cries of Blacks and Whites, Asians, Hispanics, the poor who live piteously on the floor of our planet. He has offered us understanding. We will not withhold forgiveness even from those who do not ask. Nelson Mandela’s day is done, we confess it in tearful voices, yet we lift our own to say thank you. Thank you our Gideon, thank you our David, our great courageous man. We will not forget you, we will not dishonor you, we will remember and be glad that you lived among us, that you taught us, and that you loved us all.
33 Nelson Mandela Commemorative Edition December 2013 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Winnie Mandela and Graรงa Machel enter the ceremonial hall hand-in-hand.
View brief video of ce watch?feature=playe
Reuters
Granddaughter Nandi Mandela pays tribute. Reuters
First President of Zambia, Hon. Kenneth Kaunda greets Prince Charles of England. Reuters
eremonies at: http://www.youtube.com/ er_embedded&v=NEW4_86jlsk.
Mourners watch the funeral of former President Nelson Mandela. Reuters Nelson Mandela was buried in a private hillside ceremony in Qunu, Eastern Cape. Credit: RTV.
Casket, on a carpet of cow skins, is draped in the national flag.
Mandela: A Life of Struggle and Triumph By Alie Kabba, Executive Director of United African Organization
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he mortal remains of Nelson “Madiba” Mandela rest at his birthplace of Qunu, but his immortal vision of Africa united and at peace with itself will stay with us through eternity. Madiba was the crown jewel of African nationalism and its arduous battles against Western colonial occupation of Africa. His early beginnings as an activist were intricately connected to the unfolding forces
of the African liberation movement, which emerged at the turn of the twentieth century with the single goal of defeating colonialism and regaining Africa’s independence. He was the last of Africa’s Founding Fathers like Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Sekou Touré of Guinea, Patrice Lumumba of the Congo, Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya, Amilcar Cabral of Guinea Bissau, Augustino Neto
of Angola, Samora Machel of Mozambique, Leopold Sedar Senghor of Senegal, Milton Margai of Sierra Leone, and Houphouet Boigny of Ivory Coast. His ascendency as the first democratically elected President of a free South Africa in 1994 marked the triumph of African nationalism and the effective end of Africa’s anti-colonial struggles. The death of President Mandela provides us with an opportunity to look back at the life of an exemplary African leader whose legacy will always inspire us in our struggles to advance social justice and human dignity. His was a life of constant struggle and agitation, interrupted only by the twentyseven years he spent in prison. Far from breaking his spirit and will to fight, the years in prison only hardened his resolve to continue the long march to freedom. No hill of despair was insurmountable for him; no river of personal pain was too wide to cross; and no indignity in prison made him to question his commitment to the liberation struggle of his people. He did not buckle under the weight of apartheid tyranny nor did he lose his sense of destiny. He was, in essence, a prisoner who could not be conquered, bought or sold at the expense of his people. From activist to prisoner and statesman, Madiba embodied the finest tradition of service and sacrifice. He carried himself with a deep sense of pride as an see Life of Struggle/Triumph on page 37
36 Nelson Mandela Commemorative Edition December 2013 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Life of Struggle/Triumph
from page 36
African on whose shoulder rested the fate and hope of a nation in transition from white minority rule to a rainbow nation with liberty for all. Every critical analyst would agree that the new South Africa of today is both Mandela’s baby and its Chief Architect. He was a master strategist who knew how to straddle the delicate balance between the demands of change on the part of the oppressed and the fears of the oppressor. Like a welltrained midwife, Madiba assured South Africans of all backgrounds that the new South Africa will be capable of meeting the challenges of post-apartheid transformation of the country. He became the consummate Hope Dealer and Salesman of a dream for his people and the world at large. Even those who once called him “terrorist” quickly changed their vocabulary after drinking the Mandela Kool-Aid! Without doubt, it could be argued that only Madiba had the ingredients to pull it off with his infectious grace, charm and charisma. If he had so chosen, Mandela would have easily become one of Africa’s failed Life Presidents by pursuing the path of one-party dictatorship because of the supermajority that the African National Congress enjoyed in parliament during his presidency. However, he proved to be a leader with an abiding faith in democracy as a necessary component of African liberation and development. He refused to be the Big Man with concentrated powers in the Office of the Presidency or executive branch. In this sense, Madiba proved to be a great student of history. He learned from the mistakes of other Founding Fathers of postcolonial Africa who overstayed their
Alie Kabba. Executive Director, United Africa Organization usefulness in office. By so doing, he became Africa’s preeminent elder statesman. What a remarkable fit by a man who once declared matter-of-factly at the age of thirtythree that he would someday be the first black president of South Africa! Madiba gave us a reason to embrace the truism that, even in the darkest hour when all seems lost and nothing stands between us and the deep blue sea, the forces of oppression, exploitation and greed will eventually crumble in the face of a determined people in pursuit of freedom and justice. As we say goodbye to Africa’s Favorite Son of the hour, let us remember the unfinished business at hand: the long march to a strong and democratic United States of Africa. The powerful currents of African nationalism which galvanized the masses of African people to end colonialism on the continent should be awakened for the final battle for African unity. Liberation and development are two legs of the Golden Stool of African independence, but it cannot stand without a third leg.
African unity is the missing third leg of the Golden Stool of African independence. Therefore, it should be the responsibility of Africans to dedicate our lives to this battle of the century. With unity, this will be the African Century. If we prove equal to the task, African unity will be the bulwark against another scramble for Africa and the best guarantor of African independence for eternity. African unity is the ultimate triumph of African nationalism. Let’s build the United States of Africa in memory of Mandela, Nkrumah, Touré, Lumumba, Sobukwe, Nyerere, Cabral, Machel and for generations to come. As Mandela said, “I dream of the realization of the unity of Africa, whereby its leaders combine in their efforts to solve the problems of this continent.” Rest in Peace, Nelson Madiba Mandela! Forward to the United States of Africa!!! Alie Kabba is Executive Director of United African Organization in Chicago. For more information, visit www.uniteafricans.org.
37 Nelson Mandela Commemorative Edition December 2013 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
Books to Consider... Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela
Conversations With Myself by Nelson Mandela
N
elson Mandela, political leader and international icon of liberation, was also a wordsmith, an orator and writer whose eloquence was one of his most valuable tools in the fight for freedom in South Africa. In his elegant autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, he wrote, “I had no epiphany, no singular revelation, no moment of truth, but a steady accumulation of a thousand slights, a thousand indignities and a thousand unremembered moments produced in me an anger, a rebelliousness, a desire to fight the system that imprisoned my people. There was no particular day on which I said, Henceforth I will devote myself to the liberation of my people; instead, I simply found myself doing so, and could not do otherwise.” A second book, Conversations with Myself, is a quieter, more intimate look at the leader through his journals, letters and speeches. It delves into his personal life, tastes and daily routines. In a conversation with the journalist Richard Stengel, Mandela said, “I was being groomed for the position o chieftaincy ... but then ran away, you know, from a of forced marriage. ... That changed my whole career. But f ifi I had stayed at home I would have been a respected chief c today, you know? And I would have had a big stomach, you know, and a lot of cattle and sheep.”. s www.npr.org/blogs/thetwow way/2013/12/06/249215028/book-news-rememberingnelson-mandela-the-author www.ondvdreleases.com/1860-mandela-dvd-releasedate.html 38 Nelson Mandela Commemorative Edition December 2013 Black Business News www.blackbbusinessnews.net
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A 1998 portrait of Nelson Mandela by celebrated artist and activist, Artis Lane. Artis and her late husband Vince Cannon were among the founding members of Artists for a New South Africa (ANSA) and have been long time supporters since its beginning days as Artists Against Apartheid.