This week, Indianapolis residents joined well-wishers around the world in expressing appreciation for Nelson Mandela, the freedom fighter and former South African president who has been an icon of justice and reconciliation.
At Recorder press time, South African officials reported that Mandela, 94, remained critically ill in a Pretoria hospital. He had been listed as stable shortly after being admitted for a lung infection, but his condition declined.
Outside the hospital, South African Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba offered a prayer wishing for a “peaceful, perfect end” for Mandela.
“Madiba is critical in this hospital, and this is the father of democracy,” said Jacob Zuma, South Africa’s current president, referring to Mandela by his tribal name. “This is the man who fought and sacrificed his life to stay in prison.”
Mandela became an international figure while enduring 27 years in prison for fighting against apartheid, the country’s rigid system of racial segregation. He became the symbol of the movement for equality when Black South Africans were under white minority rule, and promoted racial reconciliation after the fall of apartheid.
Mandela was elected the nation’s first Black president in 1994, four years after he was freed from prison. After leaving office in 1999, he continued to serve as a respected voice in international political affairs, especially during peace negotiations over African conflicts, until he retired from public life in 2004.
Indianapolis connection
Next month will mark not only Mandela’s 95th birthday, but also the 20th anniversary of his last – and perhaps only – verified visit to Indianapolis.
In July of 1993, he spoke at the Indiana Convention Center during the 84th national convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Those who were unable to attend the highly anticipated visit listened closely to a live broadcast on WTLC-AM radio.
During the visit, which was part of a U.S. tour to raise funds for South Africa’s first free, multiracial elections, Mandela said his goal was to help “put power back into the hands of the people.”
He said international support was needed to facilitate elections that truly reflected the aspirations of South Africa’s people, made voting convenient for millions of new voters (many of whom were illiterate) and produced legitimate results.
Thanking the crowd of 12,000 for their support, Mandela added, “Our common struggle for the termination of the apartheid crime against humanity and the transformation of South Africa into a united, democratic, nonracial and nonsexist country has reached a decisive point.”
Among those awaiting word about Mandela’s condition this week was renowned activist and theologian Allan Boesak, who was a prominent figure in South Africa’s anti-apartheid movement and is now based in Indianapolis.
Boesak was traveling at press time, but in an earlier interview with the Recorder he credited Mandela with “restoring hope” among South Africans and freedom loving people around the world that peaceful political activism can be successful in achieving equality.
“That hope was personified to a very real extent by the person and the politics of Nelson Mandela,” said Boesak who was recently named the Desmond Tutu Chair for Peace, Global Justice, and Reconciliation Studies, a new four-year position held jointly with Butler University and Christian Theological Seminary.
During the 1980’s, Boesak’s United Democratic Front coalition worked closely with Mandela’s African National Congress (ANC) party to get him out of prison. After Mandela’s release, Boesak directed the ANC in South Africa’s Western Cape province. He fondly recalled Mandela’s visits to his home and how he enjoyed the leader’s wisdom.
“I consider myself extraordinarily lucky and privileged to have known him so well and so close,” Boesak said.
Pat Payne, director of multicultural affairs for Indianapolis Public Schools, remembers seeing Mandela just months after his release from prison, when he spoke during an ANC rally sponsored by the United Auto Workers Union at Detroit’s Tiger Stadium.
She was among the 200 Indiana residents who attended, and Mandela’s presence and remarks left a lasting impression on her.
“When we lose him, it will be the end of an era in civil rights, but we will still have inspiration from his ability to deal with all the adversity handed him in prison,” Payne said. “Despite the personal indignities he faced, he always held his dignity and integrity.”
Payne recalled that when Mandela was in prison, news of sacrifices made by him and his family, as well as the cruel injustices faced by South Africans in general, touched people all over the world. Through it all, Mandela maintained his optimism.
“All we would say was, ‘What manner of man is this?’ That he could stand up for what was right despite his personal challenges,” said Payne.
She added that everyone, especially youth, could learn many lessons from his life.
“He is an elder that we should always hold very high, and it would be nice if our children could sit at his feet and listen to him,” Payne said. “Since that is not possible, it is our responsibility to let them know all that he did. We will still have many lessons to teach long after he has made his transition.”
