Posted 4:04 AM by Paul
I Saw That Nelson Mandela the Other Day

Well his hat anyway. About 12.30 Rob (young gay bloke who I work with) took a call from his mum. She has seen Nelson Mandela on the TV starting to give a speech about debt relief for Africa in Trafalgar Square. We made our exscuses and left our desks.

By the time we raced down there in five minutes, the great man was waving to a jubilant multi racial crowd of thousands and climbing into his car for the short ride to South Africa House. Fathers and mothers carried small children aloft on their shoulders to catch a last glimpse of greatness. I overheard one woman say "It can't be long now before he leaves us." She wasn't talking about the flight back to Jo'burg.

Smiles everwhere applause and cheers as the limo pulled away. Few politicians inspire respect and admiration. Mandela inspires all that and love. It is an unusal quality for anyone who has wielded power. Not everyone at work could understand why Rob and I rushed out of the door to see Mandela.

Although few will say it, there are still people who believe that he is a ex-terrorist and we are gullible fools. Westminster Council has brought up all sorts of ridiculous objections to the erection of a small Mandela statue in Trafalgar Square. The last reson given was that they did not like the shape of the hands. In fact they regret the passing of apartheid. In their youth they wore Hang Nelson Mandela t-shirts.

On top of hatred they feel a terrible sense of bitterness. The other team won. Their heroine Margaret Thatcher was proved to be wrong when she said:

" Anyone who thinks the ANC will form a Government in South Africa is living in cloud cuckoo land."

But it was the Prime Minister of the day not us who was deluded. Confusing fact with preference.

All this got me thinking to how I would explain my admiration for Mandela to a scpetic or a Martian:

First, he righted a wrong. An intolerable injustice. There can be no exscuses for institutionalised discimination on the basis of the colour of your skin. It's evil and it's absurd. The latter was shown when the apartheid government declared the Japanese were honourary whites.

Second, he avoided taking the credit. Read his work and you are struck by how he much he gives to his comrades white, Asian and mixed race as well as black. He is a "we" man, not an "I" man

Third, an absence of malice. He was given the opportunity for retribution, to pay back his torturers and he turned it down. One word on his release from prison and tens of thousands of whites would have died that night. He didn't only forgive them. He asked for their support in creating something new.

Fourth, he walked away form power. One term and he walked with a smile on his face.

Fifth, he can dance.