Spiritual and Mystical Experiences
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and missionary teachers. His education was befitting to his station, under-
taken by his uncle at Mqhekezweni or the Great Place, among the Tembu
elders. Later he studied law and his opposition
to the system of Apartheid
hardened. He joined the African National Congress and developed into a
fiery rebel. He stressed to his biographer that he was ‘no angel’.
He was arrested several times and each time made a stand against the
system, which made an impression world-wide. At the age of 46 he was
imprisoned for life on the notorious Robben Island. Prison brought about
a change in him, which was to have far-reaching
consequences for his
country and the whole world. There he reflected on the situation in South
Africa and realized that in order to avoid the bloodbath widely seen as
inevitable, he needed to negotiate with the enemy. He also learned to con-
trol his temper and despite very much seeing political opposition as a team
effort, he began to emerge as the leader. He established links with the major
churches in South Africa as they
mobilized against the regime, particularly
with Desmond Tutu. Once President, Mandela established freedom for all
religions, recognizing the part that the different faiths had played in the
transformation of the country, from providing education and health care
for
blacks when the regime did not, to supporting the struggle for change.
Universal protest against Apartheid turned him into the world’s most
famous prisoner. It is a measure of the man that he was able to cope with
his iconic status on his release, retaining an engaging, natural, humorous
manner. He and President F. W. De Klerk managed to put aside their
considerable differences and over a long period, work
out a transition of
power. They were rewarded by the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. Nelson
Mandela had not only forgiven his oppressors, but had managed to bring
his colleagues in the ANC with him – no mean feat. They often baulked
at his compassion, his leniency towards prison guards and Afrikaners, but
Mandela was not to be moved. As
president, Mandela set up The Truth
and Reconciliation Commission, an imaginative way of coming to
terms with the past based on forgiveness, an example of
ubuntu
in action.
Mandela gave a third of his presidential
salary to a charity, handed over
to his successor gracefully and now lives a simple life. His life is an
example of true humanity in the face of adversity.
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