A Hero Fallen Or Merely Stumbled?
An elderly statesman's reputation tarnished by revelations of his own seemingly flawed decisions? This is Nelson Mandela, whose humane exploits as a man with a mission who refused to allow himself or his followers, much less the social justice political party he inaugurated in South Africa in its battle against Apartheid, to resort to violence to achieve their goal. This is a man whose name silences critics of South Africa's current government, much less those that succeeded Nelson Mandela's under the African National Congress.When his second wife, Winnie Mandela, was proven to have encouraged violence through her personal gang of thugs, indulging in "necklacing" those with whom she had disagreements, he disowned her. This man of peace and arbiter of justice, who has dedicated himself to racial harmony, was the co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. He was the first indigenous South African to be elected president, post-Apartheid. He set an admirable standard for race relations and politics in his country.
He was a hugely admired figure, and still is, venerated within Africa, and held as a world leader internationally. In the years following his presidency, he joined a group of like-minded former politicians as the elderly respected whose righteous battle on behalf of justice was highly respected as well. And he stands in judgement of national regimes that do not meet his elevated standards. He is on record as supporting a homeland for Jews, but is severely critical of Israel for what he ascribes as 'occupation' of Arab territory.
And now it has been revealed that Nelson Mandela, in 1997 as South Africa's president, invited to his presidential compound, a vicious mass murderer, to a party to which world-class celebrities were also invited. Charles Taylor, president of Liberia, following a brutal 7-year civil war, was an invited guest at the then-home of Nelson Mandela and his third wife, Graca Machel. That Mr. Taylor was charged with murder, rape and sexual slavery was surely not unknown to the Mandelas.
In his defence, it has been claimed that he consorted with other African leaders whose character and behaviour were vastly unlike his own, in the hopes of guiding them to become better people. Might it have been conceivable that he felt at that time that his own sterling character, so beyond reproach as a human-rights activist, might rub off on a man responsible for the deaths of over a hundred thousand people, the mutilation of thousands more?
A man whose use of abducted children as child soldiers was well known? A man accused by the international community of using blood diamonds to accelerate his future and help pay for the bloody campaigns he waged?
Labels: Africa, Heroes and Villains, Political Realities
posted by Pieface @ Saturday, August 07, 2010
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