http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.co.uk\/emily-kasriel\/nelson-mandela-global-icon_b_4396635.html?utm_hp_ref=uk<\/a>\u00a0 Emily recalls her meeting with\u00a0 Mandela in South Africa. \u00a0As a BBC reporter, \u00a0she witnessed first- hand, how the former ANC army soldiers, \u00a0recently incorporated but not happily integrated into the South African Defense Force challenging their President.\u00a0 She saw Mandela\u2019s helicopter landing, the president coming out walking straight into the furious crowd and \u00a0speaking to \u00a0many of them personally.<\/p>\n\u201cOnly after he had heard the details of their lives, and projected to them personally his deep sense of humanity and compassion, did he address the whole crowd, and explained to them the importance of now having a single South African army and the need for both discipline and patience. When he spoke, the soldiers listened carefully. When he finished they returned to their barracks, quiet, peaceful, and satisfied<\/b>\u201d recalls Emily.<\/p>\n
The second personal recollection comes from my friend, the former Financial Times editor and correspondent David Lennon and his wife Vicky.<\/p>\n
David and Vicky remember listening to a mesmerizing Nelson Mandela speak just before the elections in 1994.<\/p>\n
In their tribute they wrote that the most extra-ordinary aspect of his contribution to the world in which we live was his forgiveness for his enemies.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo years ago we revisited South Africa and found many flaws, but the one thing we did not encounter was hostility or hatred towards us as white people. The slogan: “Free Nelson Mandela” also tells us that Mandela freed us from racial hatred and hatred of the oppressor\u201d they say.<\/p>\n
For me, too, what set Nelson Mandela a world apart was his steely determination to fight prejudice and discrimination wherever he came across it.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be free is not merely to cast off one\u2019s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mandela did not want to be turned into a cult figure.<\/p>\n
Perhaps, what \u00a0kept him firmly on the ground was partly\u00a0 his decision to surround himself with strong and wise men and women. Among them was another Nobel peace laureate, Desmond Tutu.\u00a0 The man who dubbed South Africa \u201cthe rainbow nation\u201d was characteristically outspoken about sanctification of his friend Mandela.\u00a0 \u201cHe is only one pebble on the beach\u201d Desmond Tutu said \u201cNot an insignificant pebble, I\u2019ll grant you that, but a pebble all the same\u201d.<\/p>\n
Like all great leaders that made their mark in history, Mandela had many weaknesses, too.\u00a0 He had regretted neglecting his family in long years of struggle. He was said to be inattentive to detail in state affairs. His nominated successor, Thabo Mbeki was a bad choice. Mbeki\u2019s misguided policy on HIV\/AIDS was a disaster for South Africa.<\/p>\n
19 years of democracy, albeit with its flaws, is the greatest legacy Nelson Mandela left to his country.<\/p>\n
For the rest of us, he set a shining example of a statesman and a good human being.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
For many, Nelson Mandela\u2019s name is synonymous with courage, patience, compromise and reconciliation. More than anything else, I remember him for his decency, dignity, humility and resilience. The towering figure of South Africa\u2019s struggle for freedom became an inspiration for all who fight for equal rights and peace around the globe. His death at the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[4],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firdevstalkturkey.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firdevstalkturkey.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firdevstalkturkey.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firdevstalkturkey.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firdevstalkturkey.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=288"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.firdevstalkturkey.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firdevstalkturkey.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=288"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firdevstalkturkey.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=288"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firdevstalkturkey.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=288"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}