Read and watch Maya Angelou’s poem tribute to Nelson Mandela below.
Photos from http://philippinediplomaticvisits.blogspot.com/2012/08/philippines-south-africa-1997.html
Twenty-seven years in prison, a long period of that in darkness and limited access to sunlight, affected the eyesight of world hero Nelson Mandela.One of his requests when he came to the Philippines on a state visit on March 1, 1997 was to have the lights dim in his hotel room.
His office also specified a room temperature for the almost 80-year old South African leader, whose unrelenting fight against apartheid and boundless capacity to forgive even those who had persecuted him have made him an inspiration and an icon.
I am not sure where he stayed during his Manila visit but usually at that time state visitors stayed at the Manila Hotel.
The protocol officer returned the book to me without the much-desired autograph explaining that he was told by Mandela’s aides said that the South African leader has made it a policy not to autograph books and memorabilia.
A 2010 news item in The Guardian carried a request from the Nelson Mandela Foundation that “Because of the sheer volume of requests for his autographs, he no longer signs books, memorabilia, photographs, etc. “
Even without the autograph, it was a privilege just seeing the revered freedom fighter in person. At the joint press conference with President Ramos after their meeting, we were told only one question would be allowed from a reporter. Follow up question would not be entertained.
I asked a “light” question because that was the first time that he was travelling with his love interest, Grace Machel, in an official trip. Machel’s title in the Mandela entourage was “official companion.”
Machel is also a distinguished personality. A widow of the late Mozambique president Somera Machel, who was a friend of Mandela, she is known for her humanitarian work.
I asked if wedding bells would soon ring. That was the first question in the presscon and the South African leader must have expected something political. He was briefly taken aback but his reply was a class act. He said,” Well, my cultural background does not permit me to answer this question with people young enough to be my children or grandchildren.”
Mandela and Machel got married a year later.
“It was during those long and lonely years that my hunger for the freedom of my own people became a hunger for the freedom of all people, white and black.
“I knew as well as I knew anything that the oppressor must be liberated just as surely as the oppressed. A man who takes away another man’s freedom is a prisoner of hatred; he is locked behind the bars of prejudice and narrow0-mindedness….
“When I walked out of prison, that was my mission, to liberate the oppressed and the oppressor both, some say that has now been achieved. But I know that that is not the case. The truth is that we are not yet free; we have merely achieved the freedom to be free, the right not to be oppressed. We have not taken the final steps of our journey, but the first step on a longer and even more difficult road.
“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others. ..
“I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.
“I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista on the distance I have come. But I can rest only for a moment, for with freedom comes responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk it not yet ended.”
Mandela’s long walk has come to an end. With his legacy, the world will continue the journey.
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His Day Is Done
A Tribute Poem For Nelson Mandela on behalf of the American people
By Maya Angelou
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 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 twenty-seven 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.
This video was produced by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Information Programs in December 2013.
http://www.youtube.com/user/statevideo
Transcription from http://lybio.net/tag/dr-maya-angelou-his-day-is-done-a-tribute-poem-for-nelson-mandela-words/
Related link:
Nelson Mandela biography: A long walk to immortality – the life and times of Madiba
Without offense, who’s more popular between Mandela and Ninoy Aquino? 🙂
Ellen, your light question might have made his day. 🙂
Is Mandela a hero? Yes, especially to the South African Blacks. Is he a Saint? No, he was a man and made mistakes.
I got friends in South Africa and have been following the country’s history including Mandela’s life. The struggle and sacrifices he made would remain in the hearts of the people for many years to come.
However, life today and poverty are worse during the Apartheid. The upper middle class including Blacks before Mandela become the wealthiest today comprising the smallest portion of the population. Next are the working middle class. Majority are the under class. Unemployment is a lot higher than before Mandela’s release from prison. One of the first things Mandela did as President was to approach the same big business owners to continue what they did during Apartheid controlling the country’s economy. From 1995 until present (Mandela’s release), AIDS increase by an alarming rate. Mandela invited famous rockers and entertainers to raise funds and around $1M was raised to support the AIDS program. But whether or not the money went to its intended purpose, this is the question being asked by many.
The South African Blacks today not only have their rights back, but they now have too many privileges that are even much better than the Whites. Because of this given special accommodation after years of atrocities and abuses committed by their foreign white masters, many are lazy to work and mostly depend on government’s help. Crimes committed by the Blacks are on the rise. Even middle income citizens are being robbed and their homes’ invaded in broad daylight despite the security electronics being installed. Black authorities like the law enforcers are committing abuses just like what the Whites did when Mandela was in prison. Immigrants, legal or illegal, from neighboring countries like Congo are being harassed. And by the way, the current President Zuma, a Black who rose from the poor is reportedly to be very corrupt illegally owning mansions and other properties. As a result, many are leaving the country in droves to Middle East, Euorope, US and Canada. That’s South Africa today.
#1, Mannie personally hindi kita kilala. hindi ko alam kung ano itsura mo. pero siguro hindi ka naman kalbo para magpatawa. My answer to your question malayung-malayo. Kung baga sa isang movie, si Mandela ay lead role. at si Ninoy ay isang extra. Si Tita Cory kaya napatakbo si McCoy ay dahil ginamit siya ng Kano.
Jo(ke)jo(ke), if you look at the end of my question, there’s s smiley sign. Need I explain more?
But I agree with your comment. Ninoy was the hero of the elite, not the masses. It was the Yellow Brigade, the yellow business sector, the yellow military, the yellow media that made Ninoy a hero backed up then US-CIA. Such false portrayal was implanted into the minds of people up to this day when the youth were not even born during the so called Edsa Revolt much more during Martial Law.
Ninoy was imprisoned for some years then allowed to leave for US for medical check up with the condition that he would not attack the Marcos government while there. He broke his promised and began attacking Marcos. In US, he lived comfortably with his family in Boston supported by the Yellow Filipino Community. On the other hand, Mandela was put in prison for 27 years. While Ninoy fought for selected groups including a personal vendetta at Marcos, Mandela fought for his oppressed people against white foreigners who had no business running South Africa for South Africans.
Chi, one columnist criticized me for asking what he considered a “trivial” question. Nakakahiya daw at parang tsismosa daw ang labas ng Philippine journalists. Killjoy siya.
Mandela’s answer to that question was used by the wire agencies and was asked of him again in Thailand where he went from Manila. That means many were interested about his lovelife.
Madam Ellen, after spending 27 years in prison almost half of his life, I’m not sure if he had love life or knew what it was.
From what I know about the man, his first wife was a nurse and they separated. Later, he met a lovely social worker who herself was imprisoned for 18 months, and who shared the same advocacy with him even during his imprisonment. It was her activism that led her to imprisonment. She was stripped naked; lived in a small cell with insects and cockroaches. Extremely hard for a lovely woman. Then, there was a rumor that she had relationship with a police informer. How they could make it out inside the cell, I don’t know unless both were in cahoots with the prison guards. This rumor reached Mandela making the man more depressed in his already miserable condition. The two were still together after his release from prison; but then later separated. Mandela then met his third wife; the same one he had until his death. I think Mandela had a son and daughter, but the son died in a car accident that was another devastating event in his life.
Twenty seven years without sex and life, I just don’t know how Mandela could have survived. At 80 when he was released and met his third wife, he might be still capable like Dolphy. However, I leave this matter to between the two.
Tungkol sa pagiging lider ng isang bansa o sa bawat bansa ay wala ng hihigit pa sa naging lider ng Pilipinas na si Marcos. Dahil si Maros lang ang naging pinuno na kung saan may maganda ang takbo ng ekonomiya ng bansa, kulang ang nagugutom. May malasakit sa mga mahihirap. Ang mga proyekto ay kapakipakinabang talaga sa mga mamamayan. Wala ng hihigit pa sa mga nagawa niyang kabutihan sa mga mamamayan.
Sayang nga lamang at si Marcos ay pinatalsik. Nawalan tuloy ng disiplina ang mga tao. Unti unti dumami ang krimen, unti unti dumami ang mga magnanakaw, unti unti dumami ang gang, unti unti dumami ang mamamatay ng tao kapalit ng pera para makasurvive sa kahirapan. Samantala sa panahon ni Marcos wala masyado ang ganun dahil kapag mahuli ay bartolena o parurusahan talaga para hindi tularan ng iba. Wala na ang Marcos na kinatatakutan ng mga kriminal kaya malaya silang gumawa ng di maganda.
Ellen, inggit lang columnist na yan, he/she didn’t have the opportunity or guts to ask Pres. Mandela the question. Kung baga, you broke the ice that was needed for the special couple to feel comfortable with us pinoys. The wires picked it up, so they agreed that your “trivial” question was indeed a ‘feel good’ meaningful one. Special relationship yan ng head of a country, so major major ang question mo. 🙂
I beg to disagree with your opinions, Arvin. But allow me to start with Marcos’ good years and character.
No one can dispute Marcos’ intelligence. He was accused of murdering Nalundasan, and he succeeded in representing himself then finally acquitted right inside the jail. He performed very well as the Senate President. Known names in his time were the Puyats, Rodrigos, Almendras, Diokno, etc. Marcos was very well expected. He delivered his speeches at home and abroad eloquently without the aid of prepared speeches. He won the presidency and got elected credibly.
The first few years of Martial Law were very good. People learned how to be discipline. They fell in line and obeyed traffic laws. There was curfew. Crime rate was very low. After drug lord Lim Seng’s execution in public, there were no serious drug cases. Economy was among the best in Asia. Peso was the strongest. Our military was much better than our neighbors. Back then, PAF already had fighter jets. Marcos’ anti-Communist stand earned the admiration of the world particularly the US. True or not, it was declaring the Martial Law that stopped the growth of communists in the Philippines. In fact, Martial Law was partly triggered by the Plaza Miranda bombing that was blamed on Marcos only to be denied by former Sen. Jovito Salonga and Col. Victor Corpus decades after saying the real mastermind was Joma Sison’s NPA.
However, Marcos’ impressive leadership was overtaken by his womanizing. His romantic relationship with Dovie Beans that was exposed by his taped audio was the last straw to First Lady Imelda Marcos. Imelda began to rebel and expose all his dark secrets which actually were mostly his women. To prevent further problems between the two, Marcos let Imelda do what she wanted. She began to take advantage of Marcos’ power by forming her own corrupt inner circle that included her Romualdez family. Who would forget her brother Benjamin Roamualdez who was referred to as “Bejo”. Imelda’s lavish style and taste for the most expensive material things money could buy slowly brought down Marcos and his government. Oh yes, she also used the Catholic Church to support her greed. Then, the late Cardinal Sin and Imelda were the best of friends. I saw an old video footage showing Cardinal Sin laughing and clapping watching Imelda danced in an extravagant party. Years later, the same Cardinal Sin became her and Marcos’ worst enemy.
While Marcos’ corruption was known in every corner of the country, his projects like building schools and bridges were also noted. Uncle Sam still supported him until he made a huge mistake of reducing the bases agreement by half. Whether it was his patriotism or disappointment with Uncle Sam’s dictates, his change of attitude toward the US began to haunt him. To America, Marcos became stubborn and rebellious. But America needed a very good reason to justify removing him. So, came the Ninoy assassination that many believe was not mastermind by Marcos who was very sick then. The real mastermind or masterminds are still very much alive and active today. The rest is history.
But Arvin, let me warn you not to compare Marcos to Mandela. Mandela was very much different from Marcos. Aside from the two leaders’ having the same letter in their names, Marcos was by no means at Mandela’s level when it comes to genuine sacrifice for his people and country.
The Nelson & Winnie Mandela love story has endeared the couple not only to political activists but the South African blacks in general. Some compare them to Richard Burton-Liz Taylor.
Nelson, ever the flamboyant hunk who sculpts his muscles in gyms, started dating Winnie even while he was still married. He divorced his wife, married Winnie, a few years later,he went underground. He was eventually captured and spent decades in prison. Winnie had carried the struggle on her own until Nelson was finally released but stories of her infidelity made Nelson call it quits. They divorced and Nelson married anew, with Graca Machel, whom Nelson impressed by taking her to official functions and political affairs.
Winnie never left his side, she was never banished from the Mandela house. In fact, even in Nelson’s last days, Winnie was around to receive his visitors.
Requiescat In Pace, Mr. Nelson Mandela.
#12 US Pres. Obama arrived at South Africa together with Bush. Obama was of course very much welcome; but not sure about Bush. Mandela in many occasions in his speeches attacked Bush’s foreign policy especially Iraq’s invasion.