Dr. Samuel Koranteng Pipim is the Director of EAGLESonline (www.EAGLESonline.org). He and the EAGLEsonline team were in Harare, Zimbabwe, conducting an “Africa Must Think” lecture series when Nelson Mandela died. The lecture series was hosted by the Catalytic Concepts Group, a young professionals' organization in Zimbabwe.
He is known to have inspired millions. He will be remembered for having gifted us with words that will transcend the spectrum of time, and remain of relevance to all classes and races. But, let it be remembered that, like Nkrumah, Mandela's vision for his country was not always appreciated at the start. Though initially branded and vilified, he forged ahead, uninhibited by the lack of applause, and the misunderstanding and misrepresentation that often attends the painful work of visionaries.
How easy it is to honor the heroes of yesteryears from our safe harbors today! How comfortable it is to marry cowards than to be widows of principled nonconformists! And how secure it is to be sheltered in the shade of apathy than to be burned by the battle for right.
Mandela was an eagle, not a chicken. And he leaves us comforted, having given the best of his energy, vigor, intellect, courage, and compassion to the cause of Africa’s liberation and development. He ran fearlessly 95km of a race that is not defined by distance, but by the accomplishment of bold causes that will place Africa in its rightful place in the world. He escaped assassination and execution by forces too grand to be natural, and too divine to be human. Unlike many of Africa’s patriots of liberation, he lived and died at a ripe, old age of 95, having spent and been spent to make Africa and the world better than they were at his birth. He died, knowing he had lit the candle for every Africa who understands the cause he stood for, and shares the burden to live and die for the good of a better world.
He is known to have inspired millions. He will be remembered for having gifted us with words that will transcend the spectrum of time, and remain of relevance to all classes and races. But, let it be remembered that, like Nkrumah, Mandela's vision for his country was not always appreciated at the start. Though initially branded and vilified, he forged ahead, uninhibited by the lack of applause, and the misunderstanding and misrepresentation that often attends the painful work of visionaries.
How easy it is to honor the heroes of yesteryears from our safe harbors today! How comfortable it is to marry cowards than to be widows of principled nonconformists! And how secure it is to be sheltered in the shade of apathy than to be burned by the battle for right.
Mandela was an eagle, not a chicken. And he leaves us comforted, having given the best of his energy, vigor, intellect, courage, and compassion to the cause of Africa’s liberation and development. He ran fearlessly 95km of a race that is not defined by distance, but by the accomplishment of bold causes that will place Africa in its rightful place in the world. He escaped assassination and execution by forces too grand to be natural, and too divine to be human. Unlike many of Africa’s patriots of liberation, he lived and died at a ripe, old age of 95, having spent and been spent to make Africa and the world better than they were at his birth. He died, knowing he had lit the candle for every Africa who understands the cause he stood for, and shares the burden to live and die for the good of a better world.
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