Below are photos of the human chain formed in Cape Town today in honor of Nelson Mandela's birthday. It stretched for miles and miles from the city center to the wealthy suburbs around the University of Cape Town to the impoverished township of Gugulethu. A beautiful thing we should all take inspiration from as we seek to bring Mandela's vision of the world to life here in the United States.
A while back, DKos member, SeaTurtle, and I got into an exchange about our mutual admiration for this man. The blockquote is from my part of that exchange.
In my mind, Mandela isn’t a hero because of his brilliant political prowess. He is amazing because he is able to bring bitterly divided people together. Even the most racist South African will admit to loving and admiring him. He sets an example that we would all do well to follow. You can’t build bridges with hate.
On 9/11, I was in Johannesburg for meetings. Sitting in the hotel bar watching events on TV like everyone else in the world, I was shocked when I heard two ‘coloured’ (a still very alive and politically correct South African term for someone who is not black or white) Muslim men laughing and cheering as people jumped out of the burning tower.
Despite strangers trying to pull me away, I confronted the men and asked them how they dared to call themselves human beings. “I only love one man in this world,” they said, “and that man is Nelson Mandela.”
I told them that they were full of shit. They couldn’t possibly love Mandela yet spit in the face of everything he represents. We ended up talking until four in the morning. The black bartender from Zululand joined in. I was the first white person he had ever had a real conversation with. For the two Muslim men, it was much the same story. Nelson Mandela made that happen.
Madiba’s last great gift to his country might come with his death. I won’t sugar coat the situation South Africa is now in. The problems are huge and the anger is high. When Mandela left the scene, people stopped trying to talk to each other and they stopped listening. Perhaps as they reflect upon his legacy, the healing conversations will begin anew. For if on no other front, South Africans stand united in their love and respect for this great man.
Amandla!
p.s. I'm leading with a picture of my son's school participating in the chain :-)