Late yesterday night the world was greeted with the news of
the demise of arguably the greatest political leader and President African ever
had, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela.
Personally I think he was a
selfless man,that epitomized the true meaning of leadership-servanthood.
Waking up this morning, and all
of cyber space had gone agog with the news, his pictures everywhere, his quotes
not left out. Even TV and radio stations where all talking about the man popularly
called Madiba.Then my mind started pondering, why so much fuss about this man;
ofcouse I knew the answer, but what got my attention was the fact that we all
identified with the man. Almost all the contacts on my blackberry messenger and
whatsapp had his face as their display picture and I began to wonder, what did
this man do that made him so popular,so admired, so revered. He was probably a
man that didn’t do a lot of travels in his early years-he was locked up in
prison for 27years,but yet, we all acted as though we had known him personally,
like he had made some personal impacts in our lives. My question was how does a
man born in the town of Mvezo, Cape Province, South
Africa ,on the 18th
of July 1918 become a world icon.
I decided to read more about this great man, to see the
extraordinary trait he had, to see his special gift or talent,I googled his
name and read as much as I could find,alas,there was nothing extraordinary or
special about this man. He lived and grew like everyone one of us, except he had a dream, a passion, he wanted to make a
difference, something we all share as humans.
You see life is not about the dreams you have, it’s about
what you do when you awake up to reality, life isn’t just about your ideas, it’s
about the actions to back it up. The bible says”Seest thou a man diligent in
his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean me”,”
The hand of the diligent shall bear rule”.
I think to become great in life you don’t need to start
with the whole world, just start where you are, start by meeting a need in your
immediate environment. Today the whole world celebrates Mandela because he
believed he could bring change to a small community, then province and his
beloved country, but in doing these, he has brought change to the whole world.
My lesson from Mandela is, If only you can do your best to make your
dream come true in the smallest of ways and seek to gradually expand your reach
and influence, you will someday get the attention of the whole world. Madiba
never came to my country in person, but today we celebrate him like he is our
very own.
I will end my thoughts on paper here with an ode to
Nelson Mandela from a dear friend.
... And so I thought
of names to call you, and I came up with an endless list.
You were a selfless fighter, an inspiration, mentor, an exemplary leader, a philanthropist and a strong and courageous warrior...
What kind of a man would give up himself for his nation and his continent at large? It had to be a man equipped by God for His purpose.
To Africa, you didn't die because your legacies live on forever. You are a father to Africa and your great deeds have inspired millions of people around the world.
South Africa sought for a man to rescue it from the clutches of racism, unfairness and inequality and you stood up for it.
What would the history of South Africa have been without a great man like you?
What would have been the hope of its people without your sacrifices?
You didn't mind the hurt, shame, loss and humiliation. You stood up for your people without counting the cost. Now every born South African is a free man, no rejection, no segregation.
I dare say there's no South Africa without you. You are South Africa, and South Africa is you.
Thank you for showcasing Africa in such an honorable way.
Thank you for restoring the pride and strength of this great continent before the world.
I've searched history through and through; still I found no greater sacrifice made by one man for his nation. We applaud your courage.
South Africa is proud of you.
Africa is proud of you.
The world is proud of you.
Good night Nelson Mandela... 95 hearty cheers!
What a man! What a life! What a leader! What a hero!
You were a selfless fighter, an inspiration, mentor, an exemplary leader, a philanthropist and a strong and courageous warrior...
What kind of a man would give up himself for his nation and his continent at large? It had to be a man equipped by God for His purpose.
To Africa, you didn't die because your legacies live on forever. You are a father to Africa and your great deeds have inspired millions of people around the world.
South Africa sought for a man to rescue it from the clutches of racism, unfairness and inequality and you stood up for it.
What would the history of South Africa have been without a great man like you?
What would have been the hope of its people without your sacrifices?
You didn't mind the hurt, shame, loss and humiliation. You stood up for your people without counting the cost. Now every born South African is a free man, no rejection, no segregation.
I dare say there's no South Africa without you. You are South Africa, and South Africa is you.
Thank you for showcasing Africa in such an honorable way.
Thank you for restoring the pride and strength of this great continent before the world.
I've searched history through and through; still I found no greater sacrifice made by one man for his nation. We applaud your courage.
South Africa is proud of you.
Africa is proud of you.
The world is proud of you.
Good night Nelson Mandela... 95 hearty cheers!
What a man! What a life! What a leader! What a hero!
Juliet
Ngozi Adigwe
No comments:
Post a Comment