 |
| Nelson Mandela |
|
South Africa:
Tribute to Nelson Mandela
by Elsa Dixon
Having
just become a United States citizen, it is natural that I should contemplate
the country that, in a sense, I left behind. But, anyone who has been to Africa
will know that Africa stays in your blood. Therefore, as a dual citizen, I
would like to share some of my reflections.
South
Africa has become synonymous with the icon, Nelson Mandela, and I thought that
I would pay tribute to this great man while at the same time, at the risk of
sounding facetious, explore where my path intersected his.
 |
| Transkei Area Map |
 |
| Nelson Mandela as a young man. |
Nelson
Rolihlahla Mandela was born in a little village, Mveso, in the Transkei, not
far from East London. The Transkei was a former Bantustan, i.e. an area set
aside for persons of a certain ethnicity, in this case, the Xhosas. His father was of Thimbu
royalty and chief of the city of Mvezo. For
a number of years, Transkei was declared one of four independent territories in
South Africa, but in 1994, when Nelson Mandela became president, it was
reintegrated into the Eastern Province.
The Transkei,
on the beautiful East Coast, was an ideal holiday destination for affluent
people. The Xhosa people, their unique mud homes, their dress, singing and
dancing added to the charm of the country. Our family lived on this coast for a
number of years, and in fact, my youngest daughter was born there in the
1970’s. I taught at a local high school and a technical college and played
cello in the East London Symphony Orchestra for two years.
 |
| Xhosa-weavers |
 |
| Transeki landscape. |
 |
| Young men during Amakweta |
At age 16, Nelson Mandela underwent the traditional
initiation rites to be recognized as a man. During this time, the initiates are
called ‘amakweta’ and they are painted white with clay, wrapped in blankets and
isolated in huts that are subsequently burnt.
I remember having tea on my porch on the banks of the Sabie
River in the Hoxani Nature Reserve when a group of Amakweta came down to the
river in single file. It was amazing to catch a glimpse of this age-old and
private event.
 |
| University of Fort Hare |
Nelson Mandela attended the University of Fort
Hare, historically the oldest black university in South Africa. Alumni include
African leaders from as far as Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria, as well as many local
politicians, poets, novelists and journalists.
 |
| Elsa Dixon, M.Ed from Fort Hare |
In the
early 1990’s, during the transitional time leading up to the release of Nelson
Mandela, I was a lecturer at Lovedale College next door to the University of
Fort Hare, both in the homeland of Ciskei. I later enrolled at the University
of Fort Hare, where I obtained my Master’s degree.
 |
| Toyi-toyi Dance Protests |
However,
it was a politically unstable time with looting and burning, and the
educational institutions closed more than once because of unrest. A favorite
form of protest was a dance called the Toyi-toyi, combining the stomping of feet and
spontaneous chanting of political slogans or songs, either improvised or
previously created.
Our college
had to be evacuated when Ciskei's president, Lennox Sebe, was overthrown in a coup spearheaded
by the homeland's new military leader, Brigadier Oupa Gqozo. He wanted to
reincorporate the territory into South Africa while the President wanted to
retain power.
 |
| Robben Island |
After obtaining his law degree at the University
of Witwatersrand and practicing as a lawyer in Johannesburg, Nelson Mandela
became frustrated in his peaceful fight against apartheid. He resorted to more
violent action that led to his arrest in 1963 and subsequent jailing on Robben
Island near Cape Town. He remained in prison there for 18 years before he was
transferred to the mainland for the remaining 9 years.
 |
| Elsa Dixon in Nelson Mandela's cell on Robben Island |
I grew up and went to school and University in Cape Town with beautiful
Table Mountain as backdrop. My first memory of Robben Island is, when as a
young child, our family went over in a small boat from Cape Town. We were
accompanying my dad who, as a comedian and magician, was invited to entertain
the officials and prisoners on Robben Island. In recent years, I have often
taken American friends to experience the emotional impact of the island. Today,
ex-wardens and prisoners work together as tour guides.
 |
| Elsa's Scrapbook: First Democratic Election in South Africa |
 |
| Praise singer |
In May 1994 Nelson Mandela became the first president of a
democratic South Africa. At
his inauguration, according to Xhosa custom, a praise-singer was employed to
relate the history and achievements of his clan and to sing his praises.
I was
living in the private Sabi Sand game reserve during election time. In order to
vote, my husband, mother and I had to go on a game drive through the bush to a
distant luxury game lodge serving as a voting station. It was in the Ciskei
that I learned about Xhosa traditions, songs and dancing and saw a praise-singer
in action at a party to celebrate a colleague’s master’s degree.
 |
| Voting at Sabie Sands Game Lodge |
|
 |
| Nelson Mandela Nobel Peace Prize Statue |
|
|
Nelson Mandela’s greatest legacy is that he
managed to keep violence from exploding in South Africa. He managed to win the
hearts of people across the board. Together with F.W.de Klerk, he was awarded
the Nobel Peace Prize.
 |
| Vilakazi Street |
When driving down Vilakazi Street in Soweto, it is very
impressive to point out the houses of two Nobel Peace Prize winners in one
street: Bishop Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela. The street is a beehive of
activity, from African marimbas to restaurants and museums.
 |
Mandela image Cape
Town
|
Nelson Mandela died on December 5th, 2013. Through different strategies, he managed to create
a ‘rainbow nation’, convincing the white population as a whole that
they belonged fully in the new South Africa. He supported the ‘all-white’ game
of rugby and publicly promoted the World cup in South Africa, as depicted in
the movie Invictus. He ensured that sections of the Afrikaans and
English versions of the old National Anthem were incorporated in the new National
Anthem. His legacy of charm, respect, integrity, pragmatism and common sense lives on.
 |
| Flag of South Africa |
