IBOTA N’ OGBE (11) “If a man can bridge the gap between life and death, if he can live on after he is dead,then may be he was a great man.” James Dean. The phrase “may be” would seem to reduce the essence of achievement or our perception of Madiba Nelson Mandela. InMandela’s case, it is no longer “may be” as with no doubt his achievement was positive in many ways, not just for South Africans but also the entire African continent and the rest of humankind in general. In the face of violent apartheid system of government established against his people, he resolved that the only language those who established it would hear was also violence. In conjunction with other like minds he formed "Umkhonto We Sizwe", the Spear of the nation.
The taking of arms against the state was punishable by death. So he knew before hand what he was going into. When he was caught after he was declared wanted, his two lawyers advised him to deny he took arms against the South African state. To their utter disbelief, Mandela replied that he would not do so but will admit in the court that he actually did so. “that would mean a death penalty for you” the two tried to counsel him. He insisted it was time the whole world knew what obnoxious system of governance the black Africans were witnessing in South Africa.
At the court hearing, when it was time for him to speak in his defence, he said among others that as a lawyer he had defended persons of all races which include blacks, whites, Asians and mixed race in South Africans. But when the apartheid regime was introduced, he tried to talk the operators out of it. All his attempts fell into a deaf ear. He therefore reached a resolution that the only way out was to introduce an arm struggled to root it out of their nation. He went on to proclaim that he was prepared to die than to deny his intent to make his nation a better place for all South Africans in respective of race as he believe the nation belong to all without exception.
His narration, laden with emotional touch and the power of oratory, got the better of the judge. The judge was then boxed into a junction of a Y-road, between legality and morality. To the judge, he was looking at the man in the duck who had just laid bared his conscience. Conscience, they say, is an open wound which can only be healed by truth. The judge found a middle way between the two roads. Instead of death penalty, Mandela was sentenced to life in prison with hard labour. The rest is history.
We can all imagine what would have happened if Mandela denied the truth of his intention. He probably would not have had sympathy from the judge. He might have be seen as a chronic liar and coward which may have reduced the importance of fighting the wicked discriminatory minority regime in South Africa. He stood by the truth by bridging the gap between life and death. He triumphantly was released from prison after 27 years to become the first head of state by a true democratic process. After 5 years of one term he kissed political power a bye bye. With Mandiba I can comfortably claim that the gene of selfish as well as sit tight leadership is not in all Africans.
Adieu Madiba Nelson Mandela and may the present generation and the coming ones remember you and draw inspiration from your principles, beliefs, philosophies and, above all, selfless leadership for your people, our people.
By Emokpae Odigie
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