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Tag: Madiba

  • Gowon, Obasanjo, Madiba, Soyinka: extraordinary encounters…

    Just for the records. There are meetings, and there are meetings. Some stand out, others are easily forgotten, never to be remembered, or recorded.  Even those that stand out may eventually get obliterated, blurred by the burden of time. Or else get remembered, only by Proustian involuntary memory. An event takes places, an experience occurs, it is lost, swept into the so-called oblivion. And then, all of a sudden, something happens! It could be a sensation, a sight, a taste… It then triggers a recall, the reminder. Out of the blues the past is brought back, a scene, a setting, a slice of life, a whole period of existence, and, voilà, time lost becomes time regained. For Marcel Proust, no amount of attempt to resort to, or rely on what he calls from intellectual memory can achieve such a feat.

    Thanks to involuntary memory, some of the not so common encounters of a distant past come calling, almost as if they happened only yesterday. Events, experiences stand out in the mind, and sharing them today, no matter how old, how late, appears imperative, for record purposes, but especially for the lessons to be learnt.

    Mandela and the cleaner

    Our first instance of involuntary remembrance of things past centres on the Tanzanian conference town of Arusha. It involved Madiba, the world-renowned South African apartheid prisoner and later president, Nelson Mandela. The Burundi (essentially Hutu/Tutsi) peace negotiations, based on an initiative of former Tanzanian president, Walimu Julius Nyerere, had just come to an end in August, 2000. Among the dignitaries and  witnesses present  at the closing  ceremony and signing of the agreement to  mark the conclusion of the UN- supported process, along with Madiba, were the then Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo, and the former American president, Bill Clinton, some   South African  and Tanzanian generals and top UN  officials.

    At the end of the closing ceremony on that historic August day, the dignitaries walked down from the high table towards the exit at the back of the hall. Yours truly, one of the Translation Revisors recruited by the UN for the process, was at the back row of the hall, in the very edifice that also served as the Rwanda International Criminal Tribunal (ICTR) premises. As they got  close to the back of the hall, a worker, most probably Tanzanian, continued with his cleaning chore, his back turned on the group, apparently unimpressed, not intimidated,  by  the presence  of these ‘big men’. At that point iconic  statesman Mandela , who had seen it all and had dealt with all manner and categories of human beings  in his long sojourn on mother earth, noticed the nonchalant, somewhat discourteous man, moved closer to him and said  ‘Good day, my friend. You don’t want to greet us?’ stretching out his hand in a gesture of friendliness. The man was thoroughly embarrassed. As for me, I was happy to have a warm handshake with the icon, an honour which the paparazzi did not fail to capture.

    Soyinka’s English

    The next instance of things past remembered, not necessarily in chronological order thanks to involuntary memory, took place here at home. It was in the days leading to the hosting of the 2nd World Black  and African Festival of Arts and Culture, first  tagged FESTAC 76, and later FESTAC 77 owing to its  postponement. That festival, hosted by Nigeria in the days of the so-called oil boom, at a time  when we told the  world that our  problem was actually not finding the money, qua foreign currency, but indeed knowing how  to spend it…

    On 1st October, 1976, that year’s Independence Day was celebrated, with the benefit hindsight and involuntary memory aiding, in pomp and pageantry. A well-attended cocktail party took place that evening on the gardens of the State House Marina and we were honoured to be present. There we were, in the company of a few international officials including the then head of the Cocoa Producers, a Senegalese, a few fellow translator/interpreters.

    In the course of the party the host of the event, the then military Head of State, decided to be courteous and move round to greet some of the guests he could reach. As he descended the steps of that part of the premises with his spouse, he was followed by some officials, aides and of course security operatives. The group got to us, to my back, and I turned round to greet. On seeing me, the soldier number one citizen thought he had seen that face before. He had indeed seen it some months earlier. In the months leading to the opening of FESTAC 77, its Secretary General, Mr Alioune Diop of Senegal, had requested and obtained an appointment to meet the Nigerian Head of State. He had a message from his President, Leopold Sedar Senghor, the famous poet and apostle of Negritude. Diop, then the FESTAC number two in command – Navy Captain Promise Fingesi was then the minister and head of FESTAC – was accompanied by Wole Soyinka, then a Consultant to FESTAC and through whose goodwill and close friendship with our number one citizen the appointment was secured. I went with the duo to Dodan Barracks, the equivalent of today’s Aso Villa, as interpreter, since Alioune Diop was French-speaking.

    At that October 1, 1976, Independence Day cocktail, the Head of State, on taking a second look at me, asked: ‘What do you do for a living?’ I replied that I was a Lecturer at the University of Lagos but was then on secondment in charge of Translation and Documentation at the International Secretariat of FESTAC. On hearing that, the future chief host of FESTAC 77 asked: ‘How is the situation at FESTAC? Any problems?’ And I seized the opportunity to tell him that although all was well we were looking for Francophone translators to translate documents into French, since Nigerians and Anglophones should normally only translate into English. On hearing that he retorted that Nigerians could handle that, after all: ‘Soyinka knows English more than the English’! And who can fault that? Of course the general who was at that time a very good friend of the future Nobel laureate, knew the value of his friend as far as the English language was concerned.

    The reward of idobale

    Another extraordinary encounter may be said to be cultural, ethical. It happened in far-away Warsaw, in communist Poland, in the heydays of Lek Valesa’s trade union, Solidarity.

    Some ten years before Valesa’s political transformation and ascension we were in Warsaw, precisely in 1981, for the world congress of the International Federation of Translators (FIT). Alongside that congress were breakout sessions, including statutory meetings of its 14-member council. I was a member of that council, its first ever and only African member.

    On one of those council meeting days, we were at a luxury restaurant in the heart of Warsaw for lunch. The council, for the records, had membership from every continent on the planet. As we moved from one culinary course to the other, the unusual happened, for that part of the world.

    Dr Lawrence Fabunmi, the then Nigerian Ambassador to Poland, appeared at our restaurant in the company of some people, foreigners and Nigerians. The seasoned diplomat, the very first Director General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), at the time when that body was situated at Awolowo Road, South-West Ikoyi, in one of those colonial wooden buildings, painted black. His Excellency had been my mentor in the days when as a young man one needed referees and recommendations for one application or the other.

    On sighting my mentor, I sprang up from the table and before you could say Jack Robinson I was fully prostrated, in the well-known idobale posture, an age-worn Yoruba standard practice. Of course the Nigerian Ambassador promptly called me up to my feet, very much impressed, nay elated. As for my FIT council colleagues, they all stood up, out of respect for the Nigerian envoy in his flowing agbada, and in utter disbelief of the spectacle that had just unfolded before their very eyes. Their African colleague, in a navy blue blazer with an Yves Saint-Laurent silk tie, a Pierre Cardin pair of grey trousers and a Dior belt, was proving to be very much from the so-called jungle of Africa after all! But, for the representative of the Nigerian Head of State on European territory, I was in a way only being a veritable cultural ambassador for our country out there, in far-way Eastern Europe. And what was the reward for this cultural coup de matre, master stroke, this instance of cultural dynamism, this unsolicited offer of cultural service to our dear nation? The bill for the whole of the FIT council members’ consumption that afternoon was settled by the Nigerian envoy. We all became the Ambassador’s guests.

    A translator’s clout

    One other encounter occurred during the early days of the Nigerian civil war. I had just graduated from UI and after a very short stint at teaching I was employed as Administrative Officer in the Federal Ministry of Information, with the great statesman Anthony Enahoro as my Minister and the seasoned top civil servant Alhaji Ahmed Joda as my Permanent Secretary.

    From time, to time I would be whisked away to the Ministry of  External Affairs, and from there to Dodan Barracks – the then seat of power, located in Obalende, Ikoyi, Lagos. On a few occasions I was chanced to interpret for the then occupant of the place, the young military Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon. But the most memorable occasion was a day I was taken to that citadel of power and was left almost alone in a room for long hours. Eventually, just before dusk I was called out and found myself in the presence of the high and mighty of those days, the so-called ‘Super Perm. Secs’: Allison Ayida, Phillip Asiodu and of course my own Permanent Secretary Alhaji Ahmed Joda. There was a document to be translated into French. It was urgent. And I was being asked to start translating it there and then. I took a rapid look, it was about six pages, and then told my superiors coldly, matter-of-factly, without hesitation, that I would need to go to my office, at the Ministry of Information to carry my dictionaries, and go and work at home.

    What for me was a matter of course, a routine assignment, was an absolute bombshell! The sense of amazement, apprehension and to some extent irritation was palpable on the faces and in the air that evening. The document in question, and which these men of power had spent hours drafting, finalizing and fine-tuning was no other than the one to be presented by the head of the Nigerian delegation at the peace talks with Ojukwu’s Biafra somewhere not too far  from the shores of Nigeria.

    And here was this budding civil servant, an unknown quantity, barely a few months old in the precincts of power, talking of taking custody of this all-important document, top secret, taking it to his unknown home, all in the name of translation! My principal,  Alhaji Joda, saved the day: ‘I think he is responsible enough’, he opined.  And then the marching orders: ‘My driver will take you to the office, you will carry your dictionaries. He will take you home, and tomorrow, precisely at 12 noon he will come for you and bring you to my house in Ikoyi with the document thoroughly translated’. The next day was a Saturday. I complied. Translators are not traitors, to counter Dante’s assertion.

     

    • Simpson is retired Professor of French and former Commissioner for Education, Lagos State.

  • Learning from Madiba’s enclave

    On August 6, I left the shores of Nigeria for South Africa to take few days’ rest.     As a student of Comparative Politics, I quickly forgot that I was in that country to rest. I picked interest in monitoring the election processes in pronto.   Two things struck me with their system.  In Nigeria we hold elections on Saturdays with full restriction of movements.  In Madibo’s enclave, the Election Day was Wednesday with public holiday but no restriction on movements across the country.  The concomitant effect based on my observation is that a number of potential voters went shopping spree and recreation rather than exercising their franchise.  Perhaps to dissuade apathy, voting hours was between 7.00 a.m and 7.00 p.m.  In a number of urban voting stations, turn-out was high in the evening with those coming from work places.  This resulted into ‘serpentine’ queues in cold weather. Though voting processes took less than 15 minutes per voter when they reached voting stations; but apathy was still visible in some places despite the holiday.

    Nonetheless, South Africa’s federal system exhibited glaring variations from Nigeria’s federal structure.  First, Local Government election took place in all the provinces and municipals simultaneously across the country.  Secondly, Local Governments in Nigeria are not perceived as ‘locale’ of power because they are far away to autonomy as a tier of government.  The 1999 Constitution as amended made them an appendage of state governments, completely under legal supervision by the state Houses of Assembly.  The debilitating effect of that arrangement is known to us all. Most governors fiddle with their allocations and administratively deal with them within the purview of their whims and caprices.  The South African model actually made the third tier to be a training ground for democracy.  The zeal put into the exercise was indeed unprecedented.

    One other juxtaposition that worth noting is that of tenure;  while, the life span of elected local government functionaries in Nigeria is three years, they govern for five years in South Africa.   The beauty of this is that it reduces both cost and frequency of elections at the municipal level.  Though where you have a demagogue in power, corrupt or lackadaisical elected officials, and the system becomes beleaguered for five solid years.

    A unique feature of the local election and peradventure the electoral law in South Africa is provision for special voters.  The law allows those that apply for special consideration to vote before the actual voting day.  This was two days before the D-day.  This was allowed in the 22,612 voting points across the country.  Nigeria’s electoral law and system do not make any provision for special cases. Both the military and South African Police were deeply involved in the process to maintaining law and order.  The Police was saddled with the responsibility of transporting ballot boxes and papers to and fro the voting stations while the military kept vigil in volatile areas. No doubt, election is still war-like in Africa.

    Total number of registered voters amounted to 26 million which was slightly above the previous election by about 1.5 million; this truly enhances political consciousness.  South Africans register from the age of 16 but they cannot exercise their franchise until the age of 18 years.  Uniqueness with the South African system which is cost-saving is the fact that voters do not need voters’ card which was even non-existent.  To vote, all potential voters signify their intention by registering to vote before the election.  What you require on the D-day is the National identity card or International passport.  More so that the name was already on the voters register; the voter must have also signified which province he/she intends to vote.

    Nevertheless, South Africa’s electoral system allows independent candidacy.  In all, 858 independent candidates participated in the election.  Most of them were African National Congress ANC members who felt frustrated with the way party leaders handled the party primaries. The major advantage of this innovation is the opportunity for professionals who may be scared of dabbling into the murky waters of partisan politics to throw their hats into the ring.

    Also of the 855 independent candidates, 86% are men and only 14% are women. No doubt, the rate of women participation in South African politics and electoral processes compared with several other African nations is commendable.

    Despite all preparations for the election by Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) which recruited 240,000 ordinary South African citizens that were trained for between five and 10 days to conduct the election, according to Mr. Glen Mashinini, the Commission’s chairman, he too was worried with hideous aspects of the electoral process. With high rate of electoral violence which claimed as many as 25 lives before the actual Election Day, the political milieu of South Africa is a bit ugly! Rigging too was not left out of the electoral misdemeanor as four IEC officers were fired after allowing people to vote illegally in the special request for special voters.

    Undoubtedly, the 2016 Municipal poll in South Africa was a referendum on national government; and a dress rehearsal for 2019.   Analyst believed that it was also a litmus test for the ANC which had been in government since the collapse of apartheid.

    Let me add that as South Africa faced the August 3 local government election with the fiercest build-up ever seen since the dawn of democracy, political parties were at each other’s throats and racism reared its ugly head too.  If ever there was a time when South Africa and the world needed Nelson Mandela, it was in the last election.  The voting pattern glaringly demonstrated this too. The white-dominated Cape Town voted en masse for Democratic Alliance (DA) white dominated party.  ANC only had marginal lead in rich cities that harbour big investments of whites such as Johannesburg, Pretoria among others.

    South Africa is endowed with national wealth as well as well-developed infrastructure, its relative technological advancement could allow its people to pursue and live a comfortable economic life.  But not everyone can find that comfort zone.  This both perceived and real social stratification in terms of not only the wide gap between the rich and the poor but between the rich white and poor black.  South African blacks got flag independence, but their economy is still in the hands of the white ones who own the big investments.  In Pretoria, Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban amongst other major cities, one can see affluence and squalor pari-passu.  The system seems to have sentenced the blacks to a life of being hewers of wood and fetchers of water.

    Conclusively, on the polling day the ANC tried to get supporters to the electoral boots by hiring 783 taxis across the city of Nelson Mandela Bay.  But this effort was not really helpful because voters seem to have made up their minds to vote otherwise.  ANC failed woefully in that metro.

    While in Madiba’s enclave, I took particular interest in the media coverage of the elections both print and electronics.  Expectedly like in most developed societies, they were objective and announcing results as they trickled in before official announcements by IEC on Saturday August 6.  Eventually, no discrepancy between the officially announced results and the ones the media had announced.

    In the final analysis, the South African system allows virile opposition. No municipal was with inconclusive election. The only one – Johannesburg – which was not ready by 9.00 p.m when final results were being announced, was not allowed to hold down the electoral commission nationally.

    Without gainsaying, Nigeria still has few things to learn from Madiba’s enclave.

     

    • Dr.Ojo is Chief of Staff to Oyo State governor.
  • As Madiba goes home

    As Madiba goes home

    I recall and reconfirm my tribute titled “An Exemplar of Humanity” on the 92nd birthday of Africa’s greatest son, Nelson Mandela, on July 18, 2010.

    Mandela’s life is a shining example of the actualisation of the desirable potentials of human existence; it is a testimony to the possibilities of human goodness; it is a justification of the rationality of faith in humanity; it is a vindication of God’s purposive creative endeavor.

    I plead against misunderstanding. Madiba is still human. He cannot be a saint for now, at least. But I offer a tribute to a human who towers above his peers in public life, and who as such offers us a glimpse into what we are meant to aspire to, a sample of what we also can be. Why we or at least those of us that choose public life like him fall short terribly at so many fronts is a question that screams out for answer.

    What matters in the life story of Madiba is not the royalty of his birth. Neither is it the ultimate victory of the cause he championed. It is not even the crown of honour he wore as the first president of a democratic South Africa.

    The circumstance of his birth was just a chance affair. Nothing morally substantial follows from that accident of history. If you believe in destiny, you would probably find some explanation. But you must be hard pressed to show why many of blue blood ended up as abysmal failures in life. Or when, as a result of the heritage of birth, they ascend the throne of their forebears, nothing consequential followed. And as we know, in quite a number of cases, even in our own clime, humanity fared worse.

    The victory of the cause Mandela championed is indeed a big deal, one of the most spectacular in the dying years of the last century. Yet that victory would still be a forlorn hope if he didn’t make the choices he made in the first place. And of course, the honour would be a dream if the cause had been lost.

    What matters then, from a moral point of view, which is the only point of view that really matters, are the choices that Mandela made from the onset of his adult life. And following the course of his life, every step of the way he has most assuredly been concerned about principle. Confronted with the injustice of racism and apartheid, he chose to fight it. Confronted with the natural inclination to vengeance and retaliation, he chose to reject it. Confronted with the African propensity to hang on to power, he chose the dignity of early retirement.

    At the young age of 24, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela had his first degree and was studying to become a lawyer. His life prospects were bright, especially coming from a royal family. But two years later, he chose to join the African National Congress. When the ruling National party declared its apartheid policies, Mandela chose resistance. The rest is history. For a young man, the meaning of these choices was clear. He knew he could run into trouble. But he was undaunted, believing in the justice of the cause. This principle of resisting injustice wherever it occurred was made explicit in the Rivonia Trial:

    “During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and achieve. But if it needs be it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

    These are the words that shaped the path of Mandela, as a freedom fighter and as the president of South Africa. The fight against domination of any shape or kind was a moral choice for him. Nothing else, including life itself, really mattered more. He was prepared to die fighting against domination.

    How many of our so-called public servants from the lowest to the highest level of governance can truly mouth these words? Rather, do they not encourage ethnic domination, which is just as barbaric as racial domination, as a means to their own personal advancement? And when confronted with bare-faced injustice from hate-mongers and ethnic war-lords, did they not run for cover, stepping aside to enjoy their loot?

    Mandela chose to fight for the “ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony with equal opportunities.” The resistance of the apartheid regime against this ideal was self-serving. But it was also clear that it was imprudent and short-sighted since the resistance did not serve the interest of White South Africans as much as they thought. It would, perhaps if there was no resistance from its victims. But how can anyone think there wasn’t going to be such a resistance?

    Sadly, in our context, that ideal remains only a dream even without the elephant of racial domination in the room. We do not have a democratic and free society. There is no harmonious living among our people. And there are no equal opportunities. Without democracy and freedom, there is no harmony and peace. It is the law of nature. Old kingdoms and empires were crushed by the power of the people yearning for freedom. Why are so-called leaders not mindful of history?

    Mandela suffered the indignity of prison life for 27 years because he chose to fight for the ideal of freedom and equal opportunities for all, even when he could have just cared for himself and his family. When he was released, the world, including those individuals and governments that collaborated with his tormentors, jubilated over the triumph of the cause for which he suffered. He had the world at his feet. He could dictate his terms. He chose, again, the consistency of his ideal, to promote harmony in a free and democratic society, rather than pursue revenge and retaliation.

    Mandela set up the True and Reconciliation Commission with the legendary Archbishop Tutu, a fellow freedom fighter and Nobel laureate as its chairman. Despite the doubts of the effectiveness of the commission, and the fear that injustice was being rewarded, the path of forgiveness chosen by Mandela meant that South Africa could face the future a united nation. It was this approach that earned the trust of Whites inside South Africa and further established the credentials of Mandela as a statesman. The subsequent honours that came the way of South Africa, including the hosting of the FIFA’s World Cup are directly related to this display of a large and forgiving spirit.

    Finally, Madiba chose the path of honour and dignity when he voluntarily withdrew from the presidency at the end of his first term. With this choice, he sent a clear message to the Big Man syndrome in African politics. He put a stamp of approval on the idea that because one led the struggle for the liberation of a people, one doesn’t thereby acquire a natural right to lead them for life.

    Mandela’s decision to remain behind the scene and provide useful advice and direction when needed is a welcome development on the continent. But it has been a hard act to follow by so many of our sit-tight politicians. Still the choice is consistent with the foundation principle which has guided him all along: fight against domination wherever it occurs. Obviously if you dedicate yourself to such a cause, you cannot also engage in domination in whatever guise.

    Principle matters; and consistency with principles is what is meant by integrity. We owe a debt of gratitude to President Nelson Mandela for showing us the possibilities of our common humanity.

    As the Hosts of Heaven celebrate the bountiful harvest of Mandela’s return, we earthlings celebrate his triumphant ascension.

  • Goodnight Madiba

    No doubt, Mandela is in heaven, singing Hallelujah with the Angels. I can hear God saying to him: “Welcome, my beloved and faithful servant. You have laid an enduring foundation for lovers of freedom. You have set the captives free and gave hope to the doomed. You have held the proverbial plow without looking back. You carried the heavy cross and refused to cave in because you loved your people.” I see the heavens basking in papal glory at your arrival at the golden gates. I see you walking like a knight on those streets of gold. Nature, itself, will be calm and remorseful of your departure. Humanity will be sober and reflective of your exit.

    Nelson Mandela lived a purpose-driven life, a life worthy of emulation. He embodied the struggle for human freedom, integrity and character. He was an epitome of altruism and a tall tree that made a forest. Mandela will forever reign and remain in our hearts. Generations unborn will remember this icon and finest soul to have lived on the earth.

    I had wondered why such a gem would have to die. I nearly questioned God for allowing Mandela to die. But in my ruminations, I realised that all mortals are subject to a divine timing; that moment when we have to bid farewell to this vain world and reconnect with our Maker. That is a call which all of us will have to answer at the ripe of age. So, Mandela has left us to fulfill that inevitable obligation. He has joined the likes of Mahatma Ganhdi, Martin Luther King Jr. and other global icons whose efforts have redefined the course of human history.

    Death is an individual experience and every creature must die. That is why English writer, Daniel Defoe, in his classic, Robinson Crusoe, told us that all men must die no matter how big they are. But what matters is how the person lived. Mandela lived a purposeful life and stood for values that would shape human societies for generations to come. He lived as though tomorrow never existed. He was not the type that sites on the fence in times of great turmoil. Uthman Dan Fodio probably had Mandela in mind when he said, “Conscience is an open wound; only truth can heal it”. And that conscience inspired him to fight for South Africans and save them the pain of apartheid regime.

    Billy Graham reminded us that since all men have sinned, humanity is perpetually under the penalty of death. There is for each man a day, an hour, and a minute. The Holy Bible concurred this submission when it described life as a passing shadow – that life is a tale that is told like a weaver’s shuttle, a flower that fades, grass that withers, one generation passes and another comes. Mandela time has come and gone, but his legacy will be remembered by generation yet unborn.

    Death is a tough penalty for sin that was imposed on humanity since the fall of man at the Garden of Eden. It is both a curse and a blessing. Death becomes a blessing when man realises the purpose of his existence and live consciously in the light of that understanding. If anything, I am sure Mandela will be happy to meet His Maker because his mission on earth was accomplished.

    It is expedient for the living to understand that humanity cannot help itself in the face of death. After all, humanity is not responsible for its existence in the first place. Death will come when it will come, so said a writer.

    Marcus Aurelius once said that it is not death that a man or woman should fear but he or she should fear the failure of not living according to nature – to focus on the purpose of life, promote good deeds as much as we can. Mandela demonstrated noble deeds by living for the defence of truth. Mandela enjoyed the rare gift of being described as immortal. Although no one is endowed with immortality, Mandela has gained immortality on account of his world contribution and promotion of public good.

    Death and life are in the hands of God. He decides how and when a soul dies. God has taken the legend in good faith. Who then will fill the vacuum? Time shall tell. But what is clear is the fact that his shoes are just too heavy for anyone to put on.

    Let us realise that life and death are two sides of the same coin. With this knowledge, we must freely offer ourselves in selfless service to humanity just as Mandiba did. May his soul rest in eternal bliss.

     

    •Mark is a 300-Level Education Management, YABATECH

     

  • NOC mourns Madiba

    NOC mourns Madiba

    As dozens of world leaders gathered in Johannesburg on Tuesday to honour the memory of the late Nelson Mandela, President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, NOC, Sani M. Ndanusa paid glowing tribute to the former South African icon for choosing sports as an instrument to unite people in peace and friendship.

    In a condolence letter to the President of the South African Olympic Committee, Ndanusa said that the world over has learnt a lesson of humility, love and friendship from the great Madiba who chose sports over violence.

    The NOC President’s letter came just as International Olympic Committee, IOC, President Thomas Bach called on all 204 National Olympic Committees around the world to honour Nelson Mandela by flying their flags at half-mast on the day of his funeral on Sunday, December 15.

    Calling Mandela a great friend of sport and a hero of humanity, President Bach said all representatives of the Olympic Movement should be inspired by the example set by Mandela and proud of the important role sport played in his life and the rebuilding of South Africa.

    Engr Ndanusa harped on Mandela’s remarkable fight against oppression, and his love for all, noting that the outpouring of emotions and respect by the world showed that Mandela was an acclaimed man of peace.

  • Now, the lion sleeps tonight……

    And whilst we are still on the subject of great men and exceptional nations, it is meet to report that arguably the greatest human soul of the last hundred years and one of the noblest human beings of all time passed on late on Thursday. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, a.k.a Madiba, has joined his great ancestors. It was the most publicly enacted passing of a world-historic personage since recorded history began.

    From all corners of the human globe, the outpouring of grief has been unprecedented. The world woke up a much poorer place on Friday, but humanity has been greatly enriched by the glorious and profoundly symbolic example of one exceptional individual. Mandela was the warrior who chose not to fight; and the conqueror that chose not to exact vengeance and retribution. When shall we see the like of this man again?

    There was always something regal about Nelson Mandela. Even in dire captivity, he looked and acted like a king in waiting. Born into minor royalty, Mandela ruled South Africa like a major royalty. A lion does not need to proclaim its leonine nature. Even in languid repose, mere looking at the lion is enough disincentive. The truly powerful do not need to throw their power around. This is the preserve of brutes and thugs who force their way into reckoning.

    While we are still celebrating the passage of Mandela to immortality, Snooper has one request to make of the South African authorities. They should make Mariam Makeba’s great song, the lion sleeps tonight… the theme and motif of Mandela’s funeral. Oh, the great African lion sleeps tonight…..God bless you, and goodnight Nelson.

  • Can Madiba make it to his 95th birthday?

    Can Madiba make it to his 95th birthday?

    Less than one month to his 95th birthday, former South African President and anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela is in a bad shape, making not a few to wonder if he will live to see his next birthday or leave before then.

     

    July 18 will mark his 95th birthday. Less than a month to this important day in his life, former South African President and anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela lies on a hospital bed in Johannesburg.

    Hundreds of messages of love and support have been left outside the hospital where the former South African leader is in a “critical condition”.

    It comes as close relatives of the 94-year-old held an emergency meeting at the former anti-apartheid leader’s home in Qunu, in the Eastern Cape, this morning.

    It is not known what the family is meeting to discuss but several members, including Mandela’s ex-wife Winnie and daughter Makaziwe, visited the Medi-Clinic Heart Hospital in Pretoria last night.

    As fears for Mandela’s health worsen, well-wishers have flocked to the hospital to leave letters, cards and flowers along the outside of the building.

    Among the cards were handwritten notes from schoolchildren thanking the inspirational leader who helped bring an end to apartheid in South Africa.

    The security wall has the hospital has now been transformed into a homage to Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison because of his beliefs.

    One of the messages read: “We love you Mandela. God bless you.”

    Another read: “We love you Tata Mandela. I am still young, I still need to see you. get better. (From) Tino.”

    Other well-wishers have travelled to Nelson Mandela’s home in a Johannesburg suburb to pray for the 94-year-old after the president who is suffering from a reoccurring lung infection.

    “I will wait for Madiba to come back home. I will make sure, I’m going to pray later, and then Mandela, I hope you come. I love you Mandela,” well-wisher Thembi Magagula said outside Mandela’s home in Houghton yesterday.

    It comes after the country’s President Jacob Zuma yesterday urged the country to send their wishes to the man he called the ‘father of democracy’.

    President Zuma visited Mandela in hospital on Sunday night after his condition detterioated.

    In a press conference yesterday, he confirmed that doctors are doing everything possible to help the former president feel comfortable, but refused to give details of Mandela’s condition, saying: ‘I’m not a doctor’.

    Zuma also said President Barack Obama would go ahead with a visit to South Africa, despite concerns about Mandela’s health.

    “President Obama is visiting South Africa,’ Zuma said. ‘I don’t think you stop a visit because somebody’s sick.’

    Obama, who arrives in Africa this week, is due to visit Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania.

    White House spokesman Jay Carney wouldn’t speculate about how Mandela’s health would impact Obama’s upcoming visit to South Africa, saying only that the U.S. president ‘continues to look forward to his trip.’

    ‘The president obviously has long seen Nelson Mandela as one of his personal heroes, and I think he’s not alone in that in this country and around the world,’ Carney said.

    Zuma, who in the past has given an overly sunny view of Mandela’s health, briefly spoke of his visit on Sunday night to Mandela in the hospital in the capital.

    “It was late, he was already asleep,” Zuma said. ‘And we then had a bit of a discussion with the doctors as well as his wife, Graca Machel, and we left.’

    The president said South Africans should accept that Mandela is old, and he urged people to pray for their former leader.

    “Madiba is critical in the hospital, and this is the father of democracy. This is the man who fought and sacrificed his life to stay in prison, the longest-serving prisoner in South Africa,” Zuma said, using Mandela’s clan name.

    Mandela, who became South Africa’s first black president after the end of apartheid in 1994, was hospitalized for what the government said was a recurring lung infection. This is his fourth hospitalization since December.

    Mandela was jailed for 27 years under white racist rule and was released 23 years ago, in 1990. He then played a leading role in steering the divided country from the apartheid era to an all-race democracy.

    As a result of his sacrifice and peacemaking efforts, he is seen by many around the world as a symbol of reconciliation.

  • ‘Obama to visit Robben Island in honour of Madiba’

    ‘Obama to visit Robben Island in honour of Madiba’

    United States Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes, Senior Director for African Affairs Grant Harris and Senior Director for Development and Democracy Gayle Smith, via a conference call, briefed reporters on President Barack Obama’s trip to South Africa, Senegal and Tanzania, which begins tomorrow. Excerpts:

     

    Overview of the trip and the schedule

    The first stop will be Senegal.  We’ll be flying there on Wednesday, arriving Wednesday night in Senegal time…  And the President will begin his programme on Thursday with a bilateral meeting with the President of Senegal.  Following that, we’ll have a joint press conference.  Then, the President will attend an event that he’ll be hosting at the Supreme Court there with regional judicial leaders.  And this will be an opportunity for the President to speak to the importance of the rule of law and the role of the independent judiciary as a part of African democratic institution-building.  So the President will have a chance to have a dialogue with judicial leaders from the region.

    Then he and the First Lady will take the trip to Goree Island, obviously a deeply important site both for Africans and African Americans.  This is the site of the “Door of No Return,” and the President will be visiting the House of Slaves museum there on Goree Island.  Then he will also visit with civil society leaders at the Goree Institute.  Goree Island has been a home for a very vibrant civil society, which is also a key part of the democratic development taking place in Senegal and across the continent, and so he’ll have a chance to hear directly from civil society leaders there.  Then, that night, there will be an official dinner that the President of Senegal will be hosting.

    The second day, the President will begin in the morning by joining an event focused on food security.

    Then the President will fly with his family to South Africa that day.  The next day, the President will be in Pretoria and Johannesburg.  And he’ll begin the day with a bilateral meeting with President Zuma of South Africa, clearly a key partner on a whole range of our issues on the African continent to include some of our significant development priorities but also a range of peace and security issues, from our efforts to deal with the situation in Sudan and South Sudan to some of the security challenges in Central Africa, and of course, to the promotion of democracy on the continent.  There will be a bilateral meeting and then the two Presidents will have a joint press conference. Then later that day, the President will host a town hall at the University of Johannesburg in Soweto.  This is going to be a continuation of the President’s Young African Leaders Initiative.

     

    Robben Island

     

    The next day, the First Family will fly to Cape Town in the morning.  They will visit Robben Island and have the opportunity to take in the remarkable history there and pay tribute to the extraordinary sacrifices made by Nelson Mandela in his pursuit of freedom for the people of South Africa as well as so many other figures in the anti-apartheid movement.

    Following the visit to Robben Island, the President will visit a community center with Archbishop Desmond Tutu — a community center that focuses in part on health, and this will be an opportunity for the President to hear firsthand about the important efforts that are being made by the Archbishop, but also by people across South Africa that come up with community-oriented solutions to health care challenges, but also to discuss our own global health agenda, much of which has been focused on combating preventable diseases, HIV/AIDS, and carrying forward the very good work that’s been done for many years to improve not just — combat disease, but to improve public health systems in South Africa and across the continent.

     

    Tanzania

     

    The next day, the President will fly with the First Family to Tanzania, also a strong democratic partner of ours in East Africa.  He’ll have a bilateral meeting there with the President and then they will host a joint press conference.

    I should add that in addition to this event and the food security event with the private sector in Senegal, members of the President’s economic team — Valerie Jarrett, Mike Froman, Fred Hochberg, and Raj Shah — will be participating in an event with the private sector in Cape Town as well, independent of the President.  And they’ll be discussing these issues there as well.

    So the President will speak to business leaders and CEOs about these issues.  And then, that night he’ll attend an official dinner hosted by the President of Tanzania.

     

    Visit to Mandela

     

    On the Mandela question, I should have added, we, of course, while we’re in South Africa, are going to be very deferential to the Mandela family in terms of any interaction that the President may have with the Mandela family or with Nelson Mandela.  Ultimately, we want whatever is in the best interest of his health and the peace of mind of the Mandela family.  And so we’ll be driven by their own determinations in that regard.

    We’ll be in touch with them.  The President wants to support them in any way.  He’s supporting them with his thoughts and prayers as it is.  And if he has an opportunity to see the family in some capacity, that’s certainly something that we may do.  And he’ll be going to Robben Island as well, which I think will be an important and powerful symbol at this time when the world has Nelson Mandela in their prayers.

    I would just add that the President has always seen Nelson Mandela as one of his personal heroes.  And he was honored — well, first of all, his first political activism, when he was in college, was driven by the Anti-Apartheid Movement and the inspiration of Nelson Mandela.  And carrying that forward, he was honored to meet him in Washington in 2005.  He was very moved that Nelson Mandela called him after the 2008 election and spoke to him several times in the years that followed.

     

    Nigeria missing on the list

     

    With respect to Nigeria, we certainly believe that Nigeria is a fundamentally important country to the future of Africa.  We’ve put a lot of investment in the relationship with Nigeria through their leadership of ECOWAS, through the significant U.S. business investment in Nigeria and through our security cooperation.

    Obviously, Nigeria is working through some very challenging security issues right now.  And in that process, they’re going to be a partner of the United States.  We certainly believe we’ll have an opportunity to further engage the Nigerian government through bilateral meetings going forward.  But at this point, we just were not able to make it to Nigeria on this particular itinerary.

     

    Kenya too

     

    We also as a country have a commitment to accountability and justice as a baseline principle.  And given the fact that Kenya is in the aftermath of their election and the new government has come into place and is going to be reviewing these issues with the ICC and the international community, it just wasn’t the best time for the President to travel to Kenya at this point.

     

  • Madiba and a nation’s pride

    Madiba and a nation’s pride

    •That ailing Nelson Mandela is in a South Africa hospital underscores the confidence that country’s elite has in its health system

     

    Since June 8 when he was rushed to the hospital for reported lung infections, news coming from the ward of Nelson Mandela, the iconic first democratic president of post-apartheid South Africa, has been mixed.

    The latest bulletin talks of a “critical condition”. Earlier reports talked of improvement in his condition. Other reports said his health was “stable”. There were even wild rumours of his “death”, which later turned out to be hoaxes, to the relief of most: not because, at 94, the near-universally loved Madiba is too young to die, but because his bitter-less essence and regal spirit is too rare in a world of dog-kills-dog.

    All through all of these, there has not been even a whimper to suggest Mr. Mandela must be “flown abroad”, as the elite here often emptily crow, “for better treatment”.

    Even with the latest not-so-reassuring medical bulletin on the former South African president and hero of colour-blind new Republic of South Africa, President Jacob Zuma’s comment was instructive: “The doctors are doing everything possible to get his condition to improve,” the president said in response to the latest rumours that Mr. Mandela had suffered alleged cardiac arrest, “and are ensuring that Madiba is well-looked after and is comfortable”. He, President Zuma emphasised, “is in good hands.”

    Now, how many Nigerian presidents, governors or even the money and privileged class can talk so confidently about this country’s health system, which the president and governors are charged to develop, and which the moneyed and privileged class are supposed to help build?

    Indeed, a disturbing revelation by a retired army medic alleged many of Nigeria’s medical victims, proudly rushed abroad for “better medical treatment”, were actually despatched to death, faster than their time, no matter how grave their conditions were perceived.

    Brig-Gen. Otu Oviemo Ovadje, retired from the medical services of the army and internationally medical inventor, suggested that President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who died in office after an abortive stint in a South Arabia hospital, could perhaps have gotten a better medical deal had his condition been stabilised before despatching him abroad. Gen. Ovadje claimed because of this mismanagement, the late president’s condition became irreversible. He died.

    The army medic also spoke of a former military governor who was rushed post-haste abroad, despite his professional advice that the man be held back for stabilisation. By the time the doctor rushed to Lagos to get his travel documents, having committed to travelling with the patient to build confidence, the patient had been rushed abroad. He died too – rather prematurely.

    The Nigerian elite lack of innate confidence, in institutions (health and others) the power segment of this elite is charged to fix, is scandalous. If those in government have no belief in local hospitals (and that rings true of local schools, among others), how would they commit to investing scarce resources to make these hospitals provide world-class services?

    And if they are so sure the local health facilities are useless, how would they not fritter away scarce resources on health tourism, thus creating double jeopardy for the longsuffering people. They have no access to good medical facilities and are forced to pay, from the public purse, for the costly medical tourism of their prodigal leaders, even with no guaranteed result?

    South Africa has made a point: other things being equal, a country is best placed to care for the medical needs of its citizens, starting with the president to the lowest and humblest of citizens. Nigeria must follow suit.

    But for Nigeria to attain this patriotic height, a radical change of thinking is called for. Jumping abroad at the latest medical threat is no high fashion. On the contrary, it is the height of dumbness.