World Watch: Mandela@100

Mandela on the front page of the 20 July 2018 issue of
El Espectador of Bogota, Colombia (from en.kiosko.net).

Former US president Barack Obama was in the news. I thought the stories on front pages abroad had something to do with the recent meeting of USA's Trump and Russia's Putin. 

It turned out he delivered the 16th annual Nelson Mandela lecture at Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa on 17 July, the eve of the Madiba's 100th birthday.

18th July 2018 was declared the Nelson Mandela International Day with the theme "Renewing the Mandela Legacy and Promoting Active Citizenship in a Changing World."

In celebration, the Mandela Centennial Scholarship was granted to 100 students across Africa. The recipients were announced by the Mandela Institute for Development Studies (MINDS) together with the Graca Machel Trust (GMT). 

"This scholarship is special because it celebrates Madiba’s birthday," Mandela's widow Graca Machel explained. "The best way to celebrate him is to plant seeds of ethical, vigorous, and committed leadership to our countries and the world. Today marks the successful start of a campaign to provide hundreds of young Africans with a chance to study at prestigious African universities.”

The scholars--50 men and 50 women--came from 30 countries across Africa. The scholarship covers full tuition, accommodation, and upkeep at the Africa Leadership University in Rwanda. They are envisioned as “the leaders of the next 100 years for economic and social emancipation.”

The Nelson Mandela Foundation tells us in their webpage that Madiba is the name of the clan where he belonged and South Africans used it to express their respect for Mandela as the son of a traditional chief. It's a term of endearment that creates a sense of familiarity.

He was also called Tata, which means 'father' in the language of his tribe Xhosa. It was used as a sign of affection and respect because the South Africans regard him as the father of their country.

His birth name was Rolihlahla, which means 'pulling the branch from a tree' among the Xhosas. Its colloquial meaning is 'troublemaker,' according to the Foundation.

What did Obama have to say about Mandela's legacy?

Here are quotations from Obama's lecture that were included in the post-lecture press release of the Foundation:

"Madiba's light shone so brightly ... that in the late seventies he could inspire a young college student on the other side of the world to re-examine my own priorities -- to reconsider the small role that I might play in bending the arc towards justice.

"And now an entire generation has now grown up in a world that by most measures has gotten steadily freer, healthier, wealthier, less violent and more tolerant during the course of their lifetimes. It should make us hopeful.

"Let me tell you what I believe. I believe in Nelson Mandela's vision, I believe in a vision shared by Gandhi and King. I believe in justice and in the premise that all of us are created equal."

“Around the world today, men and women are still imprisoned for their political beliefs; and are still persecuted for what they look like, how they worship and who they love. There are too many leaders who claim solidarity with Madiba’s struggle for freedom but do not tolerate dissent from their own people.”

Obama's call: "We must never abandon Madiba's struggle." 

References:

1. The Nelson Mandela Foundation at https://www.nelsonmandela.org/
2. Andersen, Nic. 2018 July 18, Mandela Centennial Scholarship: 100 students set to benefit from new program. 
    The South African. Retrieved from https://www.thesouthafrican.com/mandela-centennial-scholarship-announced/