Mr Mandela

I so enjoyed Rebekka's book review on Nelson Mandela that I just had to share it with you (and by the way - she is going to kill me for this one!)

Long Walk To Freedom

Nelson Mandela was born on the 18th of July 1918 in the village of Mvezo. He spent his childhood in this primitive area before the regent Chief Jongintaba Dalindyebo fostered him. Mandela studied law in Johannesburg and there he joined the African National Congress (ANC). He was instrumental in the fight against apartheid though he spent over 27 years in prison. When he was in prison he started private talks between the ANC and the government and started the negotiation process. It is interesting to note that he founded a guerilla army called Umkhonto we Siswe, the military branch of ANC and was arrested for his involvement, on the count of sabotage. After his release on the eleventh of February 1990 Nelson Mandela headed a delegation that arranged peace talks and ordered a suspension of armed struggles. This delegation was then involved in dismantling the apartheid state. He was elected president of the ANC in 1991and inaugurated as State President of South Africa on 10 May 1994. Nelson Mandela was awarded the Nobel peace prize in 1993. In 1999 Mandela retired from the public life.

This book spans from his birth to South Africa’s first open election. It is written in first person but is very formal and guarded. These 751 pages read as an itinerary or list of accomplishments; where he went and whom he met, and why they were as important as him. It almost reads as if he is defensive, every decision is methodically listed and the reasons why are named and hammered upon. Nothing unpleasant is revealed and a ghostwriter is evident. All feelings have been thought out, anger at the nation’s poverty, pride for his nation, everything that is expected from a leader. He plays his role very well but I would have liked to know more of the man. Anyone can tell what speeches where made and when, but who better to paint a realistic portrait of these revolutionary days than the man in the thick of things? This aspect is completely missing, and the book lacks for it.

However from a historical point of view or as a thorough record of these times it is a good book. Who were involved and at what level, how was the resistance organized and how did they achieve their goals? This book is exact and precise to the last detail and is a wonderful testament to the intricate workings of a successful resistance organization.

Mr Mandela is an inspiring leader and has an untiring devotion to democracy and South Africa. His book is detailed and intriguing because of its subject matter, but one can’t help but feel that anyone could have found this information and that Mandela himself is unneeded, for this is merely a list of the ANC’s accomplishments and desires.