Mandela praises mere hollow noises if we don’t emulate him

Ababu Namwamba

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, Africa’s favourite son, the modern world’s most iconic leader, will be laid to rest today in his ancestral home in Qunu among his Thembu people in Eastern Cape Province. For ten momentous days, the world has been at a standstill, celebrating the life of “Tata Madiba”, a colossus.

From sports arena to media studios, from the streets of Soweto to the most magnificent palaces across the world, humanity has united to honour a man in a manner never seen before in history. In South Africa, it has dwarfed that of imperialist stalwart, Cecil John Rhodes (March 1902), whose remains were paraded for a thousand miles from Cape to Bulawayo by train; and the September 1977 funeral of murdered anti-apartheid hero, Steve Bantu Biko, whose cortege was escorted by tens of thousands of super-charged mourners who risked their lives as they defied heavily armed police threatening to open fire. Globally, it has surpassed that of John Fitzgerald Kennedy in November 1963, Princes Diana and Mother Teresa in September 1997, and Pope John Paul in April 2005.

But writing a week ago in the UK’s Daily Telegraph, Tim Butcher rightly observed: What will make the programme of mourning special will not be the lavish tributes that pour in from all over the world; or the many heads of state who will clear their schedules so they can attend in person; or the fact that parallel memorial events are to be held in all major cities across this nation of 53 million people, with their 11 official languages. What will make the next week unique is that, for the first time in South Africa, people from all races, faiths, ages and income brackets will grieve as one. In death, the greatest unifier of modern South Africa will have achieved his greatest feat.

Butcher added that in helping to marginalise extremist elements, Mandela has made his country stronger. …strong enough to thrive, strong enough to grow and, importantly, strong enough to survive his passing.

As I have observed the floods of praise and adulation by all sorts of characters, from Comrade Bobby, Sherriff of Harare, to Cousin Barry, Chief of the great land of liberty and opportunity, I could not help marveling at the contrasts, contradictions and incongruities!

Whatever we may say about Mandela, it will all be hollow if we cannot borrow just a little bit from his life of humility and selfless service. None put this imperative better than Obama as he eulogised Madiba last Tuesday: …Born during World War I, far from the corridors of power, a boy raised herding cattle and tutored by elders of his Thembu tribe, Madiba would emerge as the last great liberator of the 20th century…it stirred something in me. It woke me up to my responsibilities - to others, and to myself - and 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 better. He speaks to what is best inside us.

Obama pointedly added that there are too many leaders who claim solidarity with Madiba but cannot tolerate solidarity with freedoms of their own people! Here at home, President Uhuru Kenyatta has acknowledge that …there is no doubt the late Mandela will remain, even in his death, an inspiration to all people of the world who care about humanity and freedom... The challenge, Mr President, is how much you and the rest of us can demonstrate that we truly do care about “humanity and freedom”, in deeds, not just in flowery words!

This challenge is a wake-up call to elevate inclusivity above exclusion, moderation above extremism. Mandela passionately believed in the spirit of the 1955 ANC Freedom Charter that proclaimed “South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black or white.” As observed by Butcher, indeed Mandela did not go to prison for 27 years on the principle that black people must rule South Africa. He, and many of his ANC peers, went to prison because they believed the country should not be ruled by just one of the country’s many ethnic groups.

It is a challenge to those who suffer from a bloated sense of self-importance; those obsessed with illusions of their own infallibility and have little regard for the rule of law, institutions and transitions. Elected first black president of South Africa in 1994 with overwhelming majority, Mandela handed over political power to his deputy, Thabo Mbeki, in 1997, and stood down as president two years later. He had faith in his party structures, and was confident in the new constitutional order, which guaranteed checks and balances, independent judiciary and a strong civil society. And so he effectively moved far away from all levers of power, wisely aware that hovering around after retirement could only hurt the party, and also knowing the party and country would have to survive long after him.

Writer is Budalang’i MP and Chair of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee