CHARMAIN NAIDOO: Obama's road map for navigating a harsh anti-Mandela world
'The standing ovation and prolonged applause that our president Cyril Ramaphosa got at the Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture was an expression of our hope for the future'
EXTRACT
At a time when we South Africans are licking our wounds, sighing loud sighs and beginning to recapture our country and grow ourselves into some sort of economic sustainability, the values of Mandela need to be reaffirmed. So thank you Barak Obama for doing that.
Thank you too for telling us we need to focus “on grassroots – where democracy comes from – instead of giving undue attention to the world’s capitals”. I agree. Service delivery to the poor and downtrodden and needy needs to be made a priority.
These words from the former US president were poignant: “Things may go backwards for a while, but, ultimately, right makes might. Not the other way around.”
His message on how to keep hope alive: “Keep believing. Keep marching. Keep building. Keep raising your voice. Every generation has the opportunity to remake the world.”
It should feel like we’re in the process of recapturing the state and democracy and, perhaps (less likely) Mandela qualities like dignity, peace, respect and reconciliation. After all, the standing ovation and prolonged applause that our president Cyril Ramaphosa got at the Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture, given by former American President Barak Obama, was an expression of our hope for the future. Things have changed since the last time Obama spoke, at the funeral of our beloved Nelson Mandela – whose 100th birthday it was this week . The then President Jacob Zuma was booed with cries of Zuma Must Go and Pay Back the Money…Well, Zuma has gone, the bulk of the money is still owing and we are in the process of recapturing the state… But are we really? I know that not one critical thing has been said about Barak Obama’s speech – and quite rightly so. The man is a natural orator and his views about the parlous state of democracy were heartfelt and rang true. But don’t you get the feeling...
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