Long Walk To Freedom By Nelson Mandela
Happy Mandela Day 2022
I still remember the details of what happened when I got a copy of Long Walk To Freedom by Nelson Mandela. It was given to me by Sokyes Tapshak, a friend from secondary school. He said he thought I would enjoy it.
I did enjoy it.
I missed classes for two days to finish it. It is a long book. 600+ pages. It had an instant effect on my thinking. By the end of that year, I contested for an elective position, the President of the Press Club for my school. I won.
It was this book that made me fall in love with politics and history. Mandela's story gave me a baptism of understanding. For the first time, I was seeing what having political power could do. He inspired me. I have gone ahead to read several more biographies of Mandela, but this autobiography still remains fresh in my mind.
Mandela's life is an example of so many things. Tenacity, patience, strength of character, humility, a simple way of life, and love for fellow man.
Just one story from this great man.
When FW De Klerk finally bowed to pressure and decided to release Mandela, he fixed date without consulting Mandela. In a rush, Mandela was informed that he was going to be released from prison. Mandela was angry, he asked why wasn't he informed. He said he wasn't ready to just leave prison, he wanted to go round and tell everyone farewell before he left.
Can you imagine that? Mandela had spent 27 years in prison and now at the point of his release, he was angry that they were releasing him on a schedule that he didn't fix. (I read about this in Martin Meredith's biography of Mandela, its title is "Mandela").
Anyway, he left the next day. All the warders and their families stood by the windows and roadside in respect to him. All through the streets, the white South Africans came out en mass to look at this man. This man they had imprisoned wrongly for 27 years. He waved at them and they waved back.
Mandela was too good. Too good.
May the spirit of Madiba continues to inspire us. Happy Mandela Day 2022!
No one can denise the struggle and efforts of Mendal for the nation of South Africa. He struggle alot to get free the people of Africa from the barbarism and cruelty. For that, he got imprisoned. It is the quality of a true leadership even he was in a cell but his struggle and efforts were still continue outside for freedom. Similarly, sir, same there is another story of freedom fighter as Nelson Mandela and he was Abdul Ghafar khan (Bacha khan). As Nelson Mandela imprisoned by the state of that time, Same the case was happened with Bacha Khan. He wanted pushtoon to be independent and in a sperate state.
Very inspiring. Wish I can get the book to read too.