I am honoured to be here today on this very special day, the 20th anniversary of the inaugural address of Nelson Mandela, a day which has already taken its place in the history of South Africa. Many of you know me from my role as a journalist during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission years that followed the election of President Mandela. Many of you know me as an outspoken Afrikaner who supported the ANC and the unification of all races and religions in South Africa after apartheid. Many of you know me as a poet and artist who has explored the issues of our country, from racial tension to social injustice.
Today I would like to talk about the speech that Mandela gave to the people of Cape Town on May 9th 1994, the day before he was inaugurated.
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We speak as fellow citizens to heal the wounds of the past with the intent of constructing a new order based on justice for all.”
These words have presented all Africans with an enormous challenge. We have had to rise above the temptation to seek revenge, and instead, we have had to learn to forgive and forget. This challenge is one we still face today. In fact many Africans today still think in terms of ‘conquerors’ and ‘conquered’. We have seen this struggle on the farms in the country and in the townships in the cities for the past 20
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How is it that, 20 years later, his words still ring true and inspire many of us to put our anger behind us? In his speech he looked out from Cape Town and saw Robben Island, where he suffered for years in exile as a political prisoner. He could have made his Cape Town speech about himself, showing us his personal atrocities as the scar left behind by the apartheid government. Instead he encouraged us to look at this ‘Cape of Good Hope’ in the greater context of world history, where many cultures have come together for centuries. He made us realize that our struggle for reconciliation started long before us. In his words: “The names of those who were incarcerated on Robben Island is a roll call of resistance fighters and democrats spanning over three centuries. If indeed this is a Cape of Good Hope, that hope owes much to the spirit of that legion of fighters and others of their calibre.” By making his Cape Town speech about them, he showed a selflessness that has inspired many. By making his speech about them, he made their suffering meaningful to a new South Africa. Their resistance was not
Obama’s speech at Mandela memorial (transcript); ‘Mandela taught us the power of action, but also ideas’, Tuesday, December 10, 9:09 AM
He opens his speech with “I greet you all in the name of peace, democracy and freedom for all.” (Mandela)
...oned racial segregation has been prohibited. Everybody in South Africa now has an equivalent open door at home and at work to live agreeable, gainful lives. Nelson Mandela is one of the world's actual opportunity contenders, and his life and individual triumphs will be recalled long after the world has overlooked the wrongs of Apartheid.
To understand Mandela’s role in civil disobedience, one must first have the knowledge of his personal life. Mandela was born in the town of Transkei, South Africa into a royal family on July 18,1918 (Klerk). Even though Mandela was born into a royal family, he still noticed the ugly treatment of people in South Africa based on their racial background. Mr. Mandela was educated at the University of Fort Hare and the University of Witwatersrand. Both of these universities are located in South Africa, though Fort Ware is in Eastern Cape while Witwatersrand is located in the capital (Klerk, F). While a student in college Mandela was sent home for protesting against the strict policies of the university with several other classmates. Like many col...
In his statement from the dock opening of the defense case in the Rivonia Trial, “I am prepared to die,” Nelson Mandela, a nonviolent anti-apartheid activist, politician and philanthropist who became the first black president in South Africa from 1994 to 1999, argues that Africans want to live in a “democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities.” He claims that Africans are treated with a “lack of human dignity” and are considered a “separate breed” than white men, and that the Africans are not getting a lot of the things that they deserve. Mandela supports this claim by first stating that Africans are not looked upon as equals, but as separate than white people. He explains that Africans
University of Pennsylvania-African studies center. Inaugural speech, Pretoria (Mandela)- 5/10/94 in Nelson Mandela’s inaugural speech-Pretoria ,May 10 from ancdip@WN.APC.ORG
Barack Obama has made no secret that over the past three decades Nelson Mandela has been the greatest influence in his life. Coming from an African ancestry, Obama drew inspiration from Mandela’s life and influenced Obama to take himself upon a journey of self-discovery and find his own voice (Obama, 2004). The repercussions of Mandela’s inspirational work caused Obama to become a part of an anti-apartheid divestment movement in college and to shift to focusing on law and politics (Epstein, 2013). Now that Barack Obama has become President of the United States of America, he has consistently quoted Mandela in all his keynote speeches speaking of freedom and equality and his actions and words are inspired by the desire to emulate Mandela’s powerful actions and movements and the examples that he set, in the 21st century (Killough, 2013). Even within the tribute to Mandela, Obama (2013) says “You can make his life’s work your own…It stirred something ...
In 1994, Nelson Mandela was elected to the highest office of the land. Faced with issues like an economic crisis and racial tensions, Mandela inherited a difficult set of problems. While Mandela’s new position had allocated legitimate power, “influence that is created through a title or status”, due to the severity of the issues, Mandela needed new means of acquiring power, “the ability to influence how others behave,” to garnish unified support throughout the country (P. 329). Mandela understood that to achieve this he would have to adopt various techniques to provide leadership, “a process of influence aimed at directing behavior toward the accomplishment of objectives” (P.326).
This source is helpful since it really demonstrates the main points of Mandela's achievements. For instance he gave hope to millions of Africans and inspired them. The article strongly states the effect he had on African people which is a crucial part of my essay. It is well organized in terms of chronoligal order and importance which is essential in my essay.
“The time comes in the life of any nation when there remain only two choices: submit or fight” (“Nelson Mandela”). Nelson Mandela took the chance and fought for his rights and freedom. Mandela has gone through many troubles in his life since the day he was born. A young man that had no shoes till he approached the age of sixteen, and then transformed into a great political leader of his country. Mandela’s life is an impressing story to be told!
Transition to 1st main point: First, let’s talk about the childhood and education of Mandela
Perhaps the first seed was planted in his heart when Mandela’s father died and he went to live with Chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo, the acting regent of the Tembu people. Mandela was nine years old at the time, and when he was given the opportunity for higher education, he took an interest in the history of South Africa. He began learning about how the Afr...
1. Thesis: Nelson Mandela’s courage brought justice to his country and greatly improved South Africa overall.
Nelson Mandela 's inaugural speech given in Pretoria addressed South African citizens and royalty as well as significant political figures. Mandela 's speech covered unity for the people and implied the future was going to embody equality amongst all. His speech covers the darkness and struggle of the past and goes in depth really connecting himself to the audience. His message is clear and easily understood. Mandela addresses the long struggle for democracy in South Africa and his beliefs about humanity. The purpose behind his speech was to acknowledge that the black and white audience should move away from the taunting past and reconcile so they would be able to unify in the future. "We must therefore act together as a united people, for
“To deny people their right to human rights is to challenge their very humanity. To impose on them a wretched life of hunger and deprivation is to dehumanize them. But such has been the terrible fate of all black persons in our country under the system of apartheid (“In Nelson Mandela’s own words”). Nelson Mandela was a moral compass symbolizing the struggle against racial oppression. Nelson Mandela emerged from prison after twenty-seven years to lead his country to justice. For twenty-seven years he sat in a cell because he believed in a country without apartheid, a country with freedom and human rights. He fought for a country where all people were equal, treated with respect and given equal opportunity. Nelson Mandela looms large in the actions of activists and politicians. He inspired music and movies, and swayed the mind of powerful leaders. Making him an influential person who affected American culture.