Nelson Mandela: For us a child was born a century ago –

By Owei Lakemfa

Nelson Mandela, whose centenary of birth the world marked this Wednesday, July 18 was a mortal. However, in a world rife with cleavages of class, race, religion, region, gender, and number, it is almost impossible to find a person generally accepted by all as a hero and legend. This is the basis of Mandela's legacy.

This legacy is based on six pillars. First, he was born in colonial South Africa who degenerated further into the apartheid system. The struggle to decolonize, defeat apartheid and allow the people to exercise their fundamental human rights, brought down Mandela. He believed that: "Denying people their human rights, is denying their humanity." His philosophy was: "When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes, he has no choice but to become an outlaw. "Then he became an outlaw.This decision could cost him his life.But it was a struggle in which he believed and which was ultimately convinced of triumph, even if he would not be alive. to participate in the Victory Day.

The second platform is the collective.He knew that in truth, no one can overcome a system as an individual.He was convinced that: " No one can liberate a country. You can only release a country if you act as a collective. "Thus, he joined the African National Congress (ANC)

The third base was the courage and the sacrifice.It wrote:" I learned that courage was not the only one. absence of fear, but triumph.The brave man is not the one who is not afraid, but the one who overcomes this fear. "He argued that the choices people make should to reflect their hopes, not their fears.

The test of his courage and his comrades arrested in 1963 came when they were accused of sabotage and conspiracy to violently overthrow the government. death, he told judge Quartus de Wet : "I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all people live together harmoniously and with equal opportunities It's an ideal that I hope to live and achieve.But if it's needed, it's an ideal for which I am ready to die. "

He and his co-defendants escaped the death sentence, but were killed. He had to say, "True leaders must be willing to sacrifice everything for the freedom of their people." He and his fellow liberation truly made all human sacrifice possible. Mandela had been in prison for 27 years, possibly losing the most active part of his life, practically losing his marriage and nearly losing his family while he was in jail while his children were growing up.

But it was the stone rejected the cornerstone of the country. When South Africa had to go from war to peace, she turned to Mandela and her brave comrades. He knew the burden and understood that if he carried the spirit of revenge in his heart, much would be lost. He reflected, "As I went out the door to the door that would lead to my freedom, I knew that if I did not let my bitterness and hatred behind me, I would still be in prison … Because to be free, this It's not just about giving up one's chains, but living in a way that respects and strengthens the freedom of others. "

He knew that if South Africans can learn to hate, they can also learn to love, so he taught them that:" Brave people are not afraid to forgive, for peace (and) while we let us shine our own light, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. "

But it was emphatic the past must be firmly defeated and the process of freedom must be irreversible:" Never, never and never again this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by the other. "

He however acknowledged the negative role of international capital in denying humanity this fundamental and fundamental solution. By enslaving the world, he told Africa and the underdeveloped world: "We need to do more and get out of the vicious circle of dependency imposed on us by the financially powerful: those who control the world. immense power of the m arche and those who dare to shape the world In his challenge to those who hold humanity in vice, he has openly befriended the Cuban and revolutionary international hero, Fidel Castro, whose The country played a key role in the military defeat of the armed forces of apartheid in Angola. the independence of Namibia, and thereafter, South Africa, irreversible. He also joined forces with the Libyan government of Muammar Ghadafi, among other actions, by breaking the ban on air flights imposed by the West. He said of Africa: "I dream of achieving the unity of Africa, through which its leaders combine their efforts to solve the problems of this continent."

On his legacy, Mandela said: "What matters is not the simple fact that we have lived in. It's the difference we've made to the lives of others that will determine the meaning of the life we ​​lead. "Mandela has not only lived but made a difference in the life of the human race. This is his irrefutable legacy.