Mandela
Mandela’s greatness casts shadow on legacies of other African heroes, AKEEM LASISI writes
“Daddy, come and see Mandela,” five-year-old Toluwani beckoned his father to a photograph in a daily newspaper the child was flipping through. That was the third day after the world hero, Nelson Mandela, who was buried on Sunday, passed away.
In their Ogba, Lagos home, the father honoured the boy with an encouraging glance. But what dawned on him mostly is the fact that the celebration that greeted the death had been so ample and insistent that even children were fast becoming authorities in the evocation of the phenomenon called Madiba.
The huge celebration had continued till Sunday when Mandela was buried amid more eulogies, and the honour is bound to linger on even now that his body has ultimately embraced the earth.
The fact is that if there is anyone that death has elevated into an almost incredible height, Nelson Mandela is the one. Headlines of probably hundreds of newspapers and magazines in different parts of the world in the past two weeks well symbolise this. From ‘The world mourns’, to the likes of ‘The world stands still’, ‘The world rises’ and ‘Bye bye Madiba’, every editor has had to hunt for the most impressive terms with which to depict the significance of the development. It is thus not surprising that the ceremony peaked on Sunday with military, traditional, artistic and other forms of iconic rites marking the burial in his village, Qunu.
If Africans’ belief about death is anything to go by, there is a consolation here. In the African tradition a dead man is not gone forever; he is only transcending to another world – the world beyond where his ancestors are waiting for him. If this is to be believed, it means that Mandela will be received with another kind of heavenly pomp, especially by African leaders that had gone before him. The intriguing issue here, however, is that the feast that greeted Mandela’s death has been so elaborate that it seems to have drowned the contributions that several other legends, especially some political leaders, made.
In modern history, true heroes are rare in Africa - in the real sense of the phrase. If there were many of them, the continent would not have been in the generally sorry case it is today. But as scholar and writer, Dr. Bayo Adebowale, notes, Mandela deserves all the accolades he has got, but this is not to say that some other African leaders have also not served their countries or the continent as much as they could.
According to the director of cultural studies at The Bells University of Technology, Ota, Ogun State, in the Nigerian situation, the likes of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Sir Ahmadu Bello and Sir Tafawa Balewa did their best during the nationalist struggles.
He says, “Mandela deserves all the iconic titles we can ascribe to him, no doubt. He was an exemplary fighter, one whose tenacity in pursuing his goal – a noble goal – and dedication to the freedom of his people was unparalleled. You can imagine what it means to remain a captive of the apartheid government for 27 years. Even those that were outside prisons during the time experienced all forms of oppression and humiliation, let alone those who were imprisoned. You need to read Athol Fugard’s play Sizwe Bansi is Dead and many other books that document the era to appreciate what it takes to be black in South Africa then. As was the case with Bansi the protagonist, the victims went as far as compromising their identities to stay afloat. But Mandela stood his ground in the prison yard.
“What we should, however, also acknowledge is the fact that every situation produces its own hero. The experience that Mandela and his people went through is different from those of other nationalists and pan Africans that include Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana. Mind you, these people also battled colonialists who, though might not have been as desperate as the likes of Bothas, were also not prepared to easily relinquish power.”
Adebowale adds that like Mandela, even when the other heroes held political offices, they did their best, which is far better than what many rulers exhibit today.
“For the Nigerian nationalists, the love of their people, and striving to fulfil the people’s collective aspirations were paramount on their minds. During the First Republic, Awolowo, Balewa, Azikiwe and their colleagues initiated what promised a first class economy, the one that was enviable globally. There was no free oil then, but the rubber, groundnut pyramid and cocoa revolution was visible in air. Ask any enlightened person for the South West, who can clearly hear the voice of his conscience to estimate the difference that Awolowo made with free education . You can simply not quantify it. Now, does Mandela’s indisputable greatness take anything away from the value of a man like Awo? No. This therefore means that Mandela’s death should inspire us to expand the scope of our reflection about our past as a people.“
Adebowale, who has authored many books that include The Virgin and Out of His Mind, notes that where the challenge lies is among the present crop of leaders who, he says, need to rise above petty sentiments and embrace higher ideals predicated on the socio-economic emancipation of the continent.
In the light of Adebowale’s argument, many will also recall the roles that the likes of former President Julius Nyerere played in Tanzania, where he preached and practised equality and prudence; and efforts that Festus Mogae former Botswana President, winner of the Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership made. Since he won the prize for good governance in 2008, no other African leader has been considered worth enough to get the crest.
Interestingly, Mandela was an honorary winner of the laurel, which was, however, also won by Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique in 2005, for bringing peace and democracy to his country.
But back to Mandela! The world, undoubtedly, buried one of its best on Sunday. His credential to greatness was sacrifice and total commitment to the emancipation of his people. Only too few people can deny themselves freedom and other goodies of life in the cause of fighting for others. Mandela did so.
He refused to bend or bow to oppression. He did not sell his people into slavery. He did not ‘cross-carpet’ or abandon the struggle for selfish gains. He did not deceive his people. He did not annul any election. He did not steal his country’s money. He did not turn corruption into an idol. He did not seek second term, let alone the third or the endless round like Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. As he thus went home on Sunday, he departed with a big bag of enviable values.
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