In times of turmoil Nelson Mandela’s legacy is a reminder to succeeding generations about his human-centred principles and values. (Photo: Per-Anders Pettersson/Liaison Agency
From New York, Lagos, Geneva and Kingstone to Kampala and Cape Town, the world commemorated Nelson Mandela Day on 18 July, a black man who never bowed down to oppression, racial inequalities and human denigration during the days of apartheid in South Africa.
The United Nations General Assembly, in 2009, declared Mandela’s birthday a day to celebrate his life and as a call to action that every person has the ability and power to transform the world.
In a cocktail of events, generous remarks about Mandela’s life were made, but the words of UN secretary general Antonio Guterres stood out: “Mandela’s legacy is now our responsibility.”
This ignited my brain to reminisce, reflect and comprehend how one can amplify his call to action.
In his speech Guterres stated: “Nelson Mandela showed how one can transform oppression, struggle and subjugation into reconciliation, social justice and unity” to remind the world about working for humanity and the planet as the UN marks 80 years of existence.
This year, Mandela Day comes at a critical time when the world is going through the turmoil of full-scale wars, trade and tariff wars, civil unrest, a food security and healthcare crisis, climate catastrophes and backsliding democracies.
In times of turmoil Mandela’s legacy is a reminder to succeeding generations about his human-centred principles and values he sustained from his early days as a leader in the struggle against apartheid to prison life and then as an exemplary president and world statesman.
During his trial days Mandela’s life teaches the privileged people to speak up against injustices and restlessly push back against oppression, racial abuse, bad governance and unfairness in all its forms.
He unequivocally fought for human dignity, rights and freedoms of everyone.
Unfortunately, in the world today, undemocratic tendencies such as kleptocracy, totalitarianism, dictatorship and authoritarianism are growing long horns.
One of the invaluable lessons of Mandela’s life is not making political power a personal commodity by a sitting president, as we are witnessing in Uganda, Cameroon, Rwanda and South Sudan.
Mandela served only one term as president. The idea of hoarding power as a personal possession by post-independence African liberators has exposed Libya, Sudan, Mali, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and others into endless military coups, civil wars, political instability, refugee crises and economic setbacks.
He spent 27 years in prison but, in negotiating a transition to democracy and as president Mandela did not seek vengeance but rather reconciliation and forgiveness.
He is vividly remembered when he introduced a “One team, one nation” slogan ahead of the Rugby World Cup and later joined Springbok captain Francois Pienaar in lifting the trophy.
This was a historical gesture and symbol of forgiveness and reconciliation in a wounded country of hate and extremism.
In his speech from the dock in the 1964 Rivonia Trial, he said: “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 to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”
Extremism is threatening world peace and stability and it is incumbent upon us and succeeding generations to elevate Mandela’s efforts of building unity, tolerance and co-existence.
Mandela’s inspirational legacy as a vanguard of human rights and good governance continues to inspire many emerging young African leaders such as Bobi Wine, Nelson Chamesa and Boniface Mwangi in advancing human rights, freedom and democracy in Uganda, Zimbabwe and Kenya respectively.
Mandela’s legacy is being sustained through various initiatives such as the Mandela Washington Fellowship for young promising grassroot leaders.
It is now our responsibility to replicate Mandela’s legacy as he forewarned that “as long as poverty, Injustices and gross inequalities persist in our world none of us can truly rest”.
Let us not be the generation that fiddled away while the vast majority of our forests were cut, human dignity was denigrated, press freedom was under siege and democracy eroded.
Robert Kigongo is a sustainable development analyst.