Tag: Apartheid

My respects to Rolihlahla “Madiba” Mandela! His work is done here, and he has journied home. Mr. Mandela was a true warrior fought and lived for a fair and just South Africa. I don’t remember exactly when I became aware of the South Afrikaans struggle, somewhere in the mid to late 80s. I read how you needed a pass to be in certain areas. And I learned about the horrific forced resettlement of groups of people non-whites (Afrikan, Colored, and Asian) treated unequally based on the various shade of their skin, separating people in the same family. It reminded me of the struggles of my people and the Maafa in United States. Many of you know that around the age of 44, Mandela was sentenced to serve the rest of his life in prison; He served 27 years, starting out on Robben Island (one of South Afrika’s harshest penitentiaries) for 18 years, and other prisons as people fought for his freedom. He came out of prison in 1990, He was 71 years old, an elder. He was elected President just four short years later. He went on to fight against injustice for 24 more years. And today December 5, 2014, we can wish him well as we celebrate his homegoing, and say well done Madiba, Amandla!