As we wish him well, it is also important that we in Barbados acknowledge the contribution he has made to the development of the human civilisation in this era.
In this regard, I would argue that his contribution should not be seen as one that is relevant only to South Africans or Black people, but one that provides practical guidance to and lessons for the human race whether located in Johannesburg, Bridgetown or Beijing.
I tend to be partial to the Islamic perspective which identifies not one but several prophets, although my interpretation is considerably more liberal since I believe that we can draw inspiration from the lives of the many who walked this earth after Mohamed. Moreover, I do not believe that the entire life of any individual can be mimicked, but that we should draw inspiration from select aspects of people's lives. In my 40 years on this planet, I have drawn inspiration from teachings of three global personalities, namely Bob Marley, Mother Teresa and finally Nelson Mandela and I believe humanity can learn much from these people about life, love and tolerance.
During his walk on this earth, Mandela wrote a major manuscript entitled Long Walk To Freedom which is aptly titled at 750 pages. In 1998 a good friend gave me a copy and several years later I completed it and am to this day convinced that it was one of my more enlightening experiences of my life.
The style Mandela opted for in his book is largely historical, which is useful since he is essentially reviewing a very complex life. Notwithstanding, he liberally inserts contemporary comment and opinions on the significance of those events and this is useful to the reader who is interested in his critique of his past actions.
Mandela begins his book with a reflection on his origin, which was a tiny African village on the banks of the Mbashe River called Mvezo. Like many other readers, I was surprised to learn that Mandela was not christened "Nelson" at birth, but was instead initially given the name "Rolihlahla".
Moreover, Mandela could not legitimately lay claim to "humble" origins like so many other freedom fighters. Instead he indicated that he was born to an African chief and connected to the Thembu Royal House.
The book's reflections are candid and I particularly remember his reference to communism and his fascination with its relevance to the South African struggle. This is significant since Mandela spoke in the 1990s after communism became less fashionable, but he did not deny its relevance. Interestingly, however, those views did not conflict in any way with his perspective on the arrangements for the new South African state which is more in the liberal-democratic.
He was similarly candid when he spoke of MK (Umkhonto we Sizwe – The Spear of the Nation) which was the military wing of the ANC. This wing became necessary because the political objectives of the ANC required a compliant South African government and Botha's was simply not willing to negotiate. He spoke bluntly of this organisation's objectives and moreover the fact that they considered guerrilla warfare, terrorism and open revolution.
In the end they opted for sabotage because it was a form of protest that did not endanger life and offered the greatest prospect for reconciliation afterwards.
This theme of reconciliation was one of my more lasting impressions of his manuscript which chronicled the life of a privileged child, who later became a revolutionary and was imprisoned for his beliefs. Nonetheless, Mandela was one of the first leaders of the ANC who appreciated that the time had come to move towards diplomacy. This diplomacy would force him to meet face to face and cordially engage his captors in negotiations which resulted in a new South African state.
In all of this Mandela constantly reminded readers that South Africa needed to provide mutual security for both blacks and whites, since it was now a multi-racial state. He ended his book by restating his commitment to continuing this long walk to freedom and I remember thinking that he should have been anxious to retire.
He did retire shortly after his elevation to the post of president of the new republic and in so doing set a splendid example that few leaders in South Africa and indeed the Caribbean seem to appreciate. He therefore continues his walk and speaks to us in many and varied ways, no less instructive.
Peter W. Wickham (Wickham@sunbeach.net) is a UWI political scientist and a director of Caribbean Development Research Services (CADRES).