A Long Walk to Freedom

I finished reading Nelson Mandela's A Long Walk to Freedom the other day. My Ghanaian friend Francis lent me the copy in Canada shortly before I left under the premise that it's something anyone spending time in Africa should read. I've come to learn that anyone spending an extended period of time in Sub-Saharan African will no doubt have a discussion about South Africa. As I've mentioned, my colleague Jody spent seven months in South Africa last year so I've been getting my fair share of these discussions. To my surprise, I sped through the book pretty quickly, probably because I've wanted to quench a thirst I've had for understanding apartheid and why one of the most developed African nations continues to experience poverty and injustice. I can say I've learned quite a bit about current situations in South Africa, everything from HIV/AIDS to sustainability to water privatization. However, my understanding of these issues was lacking the political and historical context in which these issues came about and what perspectives and attitudes exist around them.

Mandela writes with a certain eloquence and humility. I cannot doubt that he was the hero of the freedom struggle. I know there has been criticism about his acquiescence to the regime when he was released from prison and that he weakened his stance on the values of the ANC. However, the man spent 30 years in prison where life did not change from one day to the next. Meanwhile, the world changed dramatically during those years outside those walls. The man was so far removed from the physical struggle of apartheid that his youthful eagerness had subsided. He even mentions that a young man is liberal and becomes more conservative in later years. I don't think his commitment to the struggle ever wavered, only the approach he was willing to take to bring about change. He saw what the armed struggle was doing to his people and he knew that both sides needed to meet half way for progress to be made.

There were instances in the book when I was inspired. His story is fascinating and to share the most personal things about your life with so many people amazes me. The way he speaks of his family and the sacrifices he made to be a father of a nation rather than to his children is heart-wrenching but beautiful. There were other instances where I was confused with the amount of Xhosa, Zulu and Dutch names that he drops that I could barely keep track of the story. Perhaps one of the most useful things I extracted was the Mandela workout that's been recommended by another intern. The running on the spot is an attractive alternative to running on the roads here because of fear that I'll run into an open gutter or get trampled by a tro tro.

A read that I recommend to all. Unfortunately, even after reading such an extensive narrative of apartheid I still don't think I have the whole picture. I want to read accounts of what was happening outside the prison walls during the most violent years of the struggle. Jody will be lending me one shortly that I hope will give me more insight into the struggle and the current attitudes that continue to create a tense environment in South Africa.

Although Ghana did not experience the brutality of apartheid there are parallels between the two states. Both produced notable leaders for African unity whose ideologies of pan-africanism inspired many countries to assert there independence from colonial influences. The situation in South Africa will always perplex me and I pray that several generations from now that racial relations will be restored in that country. Although time is of the essence, I think it is only time that can heal the wounds of South Africa and foster reconciliation. There is also a need to educate all South African children about their country and why they must actively pursue peace and understanding between the races. After reading this book, I've become a little more aware of my role as a foreigner in a developing country. I want to ensure that the skills and experiences I leave here are beneficial and sustainable. I want to make sure that there is equal knowledge being shared between me and the people I encounter in my work here. Not sure how all of that came out of a book but Nelson definitely got me a thinkin'...