With the announcement of the sad demise of Nelson Mandela, world recalled the great lessons given by him. He spent more than 25 years in prison but he never lost his faith on his cause. At times, it looked as if it will all end without any result because he was getting old and the scenario did not appear to have changed a lot but he never gave up. He gave the lesson of complete devotion and dedication to the world. He was a true picture of the saying that, ‘suffering breeds character. Character breeds faith and in the end, faith will not disappoint.’
Even after so many sufferings, he decided to forget those who did all these and did not even think of avenging. It was also necessary as he had to keep the nation united and did not reverse the flow of emotions from blacks to the whites. It was the reason why, no violence erupted when transition of power came and centuries’ old system was smoothly and peacefully replaced.
When he was elected the first black president of South Africa, he left an example of following the path of democracy by quitting his post after his first term and gave chance to others to take the lead of the country. It is very rare in African continent and to some extent, in other parts of the world that leaders hardly show willingness to leave the power and promote the healthy democratic practices in this regard. Then he turned his attention towards those humanitarian and welfare which the poor and calamity-hit people of this country badly needed. He started work on different projects like controlling HIV Aids, and providing the basic education to the children of the backward areas of the country.
When we look at his life, the years of suffering and difficulties are more than that of the success but he had a firm belief in himself and his cause; to make South Africa a country where people would avail all the rights without any discrimination. This noble cause always kept his spirits high and he never gave up; however hard the conditions maybe.
once he had to resort for a limited armed struggle as well because he was left with no other option and he was criticized by the West as well but now they realize that they were wrong and Mandela was correct as it was a temporary phase in his struggle and later on he showed that he was the true believer of peace and dialogue.
Nelson Mandela was born in a land where a minority of white people had deprived a vast minority of black people from their rights in their own land. Majority of blacks lived in villages or rural areas where the light of education had never reached and enlightened their minds. They were never a danger for the ruling group as they could have never realized their condition and demanded any kind of right. Very small minority of the blacks was residing in urban settlements and cities but then there were present many restrictions on them.
Special passes were issued for them, and anyone who wanted to travel to any other part of the country had to take prior permission from the court, and was badly punished if found without his pass.
Blacks had no right to vote and elect the representatives of their own and they were lead by the chiefs who were mainly the elected representatives of the central government. These chiefs kept their status and position dear to anything else and thus they were the biggest barriers in the way of progress of their own fellow citizens.
Blacks had no right of property and time and again, the central government passed laws that gave the rights to whites to snatch and dislocate the blacks from their lands and towns.
Similarly, blacks had no share in government offices, or other prestigious or important posts. They could hardly become an office clerk or a schoolteacher but they were never let to make access to important posts.
Similarly, they had almost no share in the business of the country and they worked on meager wages in mines administered and owned by their white masters.
But most painful was that, they had no social status or respect. They were treated as second-class citizens in their own land.
In such suffocating circumstances, some Africans had started dreaming of a free land. Almost all the Africans who could see and feel this situation were in pain and there was a fire burning in their hearts and heads but they could do nothing as they were facing an enemy very strong and cunning. Every way was blocked for them and they were left with every limited choice.
Nelson Mandela joined African National Congress (ANC) that was working for the freedom of blacks. Like any other great leader, he suffered a lot right from the beginning. He opened the black law firm in Johannesburg that aimed at the service of oppressed black people.
He was an active member of his party and always believed in peaceful struggle but their efforts did not bring out any result as government strictly and harshly crushed their struggle.
Then he co-founded and led the armed wing of African National Congress (ANC) but they always tried not to harm the public and not violate the human rights.
Right from the beginning, he was repeatedly banned or imprisoned. His passes were banned and many a times, he was expelled from different cities. In 1964, he was sentenced for a lifetime imprisonment and was sent to prison in Robben Island where he spent eighteen years of 27 years long imprisonment. Due to the international pressure, Mandela was released in 1990. As a result of first multi-racial elections of 1994, ANC won 62% votes and Nelson Mandela was elected as the first black president of the country. In 1999, after the completion of his term, he decided not to stand for the second term and retired himself for the welfare work, in and outside his country.
Few things include him among the greatest leaders of the world. He emerged from a very poor background (his father’s friend brought him up when he was left as an orphan at the age of 9). He never got disappointed with the adverse conditions. Many times, he was left all alone and difficulties had ceased his way completely but this could only make him slow down for a while and then start his efforts with a renewed energy and spirit. Had there been anyone else in his place, he could have easily given up but he was a person who was alien to the concepts of disappointment and retreat.
Secondly, he was always in favor of education. He continued his disrupted education in the prison and completed his Bachelor of Law from the University of London via correspondence. Later on, he introduced many reforms to promote education in the country. During his presidency and the terms followed by his successors, the expenditure on education substantially increased. Compulsory education was introduced for African children between ages of six to fourteen and 3.5 to 5 million schoolchildren were provided with free meals.
In different regions of the world, the spirit of leaders and members of a nation exist until the freedom is achieved and mostly the leaders are found to be having no concrete plans after the freedom. This was not the case with Nelson Mandela. After he became president and in the terms followed by his fellows, many laws were introduced that were aimed to bring social equality, justice and reforms to decrease the gap between the rich and poor. He and his followers introduced a number of successful reforms to decrease poverty and make the condition of public stable.
He was not a person who wanted to enjoy the power so when he saw that a democratic system of government was able to run the country successfully; he decided not to stand for the second term of presidency when he could have easily become the president.
People are busy in praising this great man of change and equality but his teachings would only be effective if we all try to understand and adopt them.