This semester\u2019s reading starts with two important books from two important South Africans\u2014Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela. Both biographies will prove to be enduring for generations to come. Both men earned the Nobel Prize for Peace and both men helped bring an end to Apartheid and the beginning of Democracy. They were both pillars of their country, one representing the church, the other the state. Through the efforts of these leaders, the country of South Africa was transformed.<\/p>\n
Desmond Tutu\u2019s book, \u201cNo Future Without forgiveness\u201d was published in 1999 and it adroitly catalogues the end of Apartheid. Bishop Tutu was the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town from 1986 to 1996 and a revered man among his countrymen even by those who did not share his faith. The book captures the need for forgiveness to happen among South Africans if they are going to propel their country forward. The book does not brush-over the violence and killing that took place in the many years before the 1980\u2019s and 1990\u2019s; nor does the book flinch at the depth of evil that was perpetrated by human beings upon each other. Despite the atrocities, the book dares South Africans to forgive each other of these sins so the country can heal and have hope for the future.<\/p>\n
The principal mechanism that Bishop Tutu used to bring about reconciliation was South Africa\u2019s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). Prosecuting every wrong by every white individual that was ever committed against a black South African was not an achievable goal. However, simply brushing over the wrongs committed against the black majority by the white minority for so many years was not going to work either. The solution (coined as \u201cThe Third Way\u201d), was Bishop Tutu, working with many different countrymen of different political orientations, through the TRC to bring justice and forgiveness. With an anxious world watching this experiment, it worked.<\/p>\n
This book left me wondering what if all nations had a similarly effective TRC that helped resolve issues of race, justice, inequality. The South African experience was unique but the TRC helped show the world justice can prevail, despite years of oppressiveness. Bishope Tutu\u2019s assessment is found on page 231: \u201cIt would be less than honest and entirely counterproductive to pretend that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was perfect. But it is to the credit of all who were part of our process that so much was achieved.\u201d<\/p>\n
The second book for this week\u2019s reading assignment was Nelson Mandela\u2019s, \u201cLong Walk to Freedom.\u201d This book is more of a memoir than Bishop Tutu\u2019s \u201cNo Future Without Forgiveness\u201d because it focuses more on the development of Mandela the man and not just his professional contribution to his country. The book begins with Mandela\u2019s youth and proceeds chronologically through adolescence, his college years as a young man, the years of his incarceration, and his subsequent release and presidency. Nelson Mandela lived one of the most interesting lives of the twentieth century and the book is worth reading slowly, thoughtfully. He comes across as one part Mahatma Gandhi, one part Abraham Lincoln, and one part Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.<\/p>\n
Mandela\u2019s tome is inspiring and epic, worthy of the man himself. The dramatic arc begins with a recounting of his youth growing up in the Transkei province in southeastern South Africa. He attended a for-blacks-only high school and college and it was such a different experience than my education and upbringing, it captivated me. He changed during these years. His thinking that whites have mostly benefitted his country by bringing science and medical advancements became more sophisticated and saw the oppressive nature of white rule. All of this early history is preamble that helps explain the man he became and it is told skillfully.<\/p>\n
The narrative goes on to tell of his participation with the African National Congress Youth League, and his time after school when he practiced law and built alliances with multiracial groups. It was this time period when he starts to fight against the injustices in his country and not just learn about them. I did not know the history surrounding the violence at Sharperville and how that shaped his character and dedication to finding a peaceful solution to end Apartheid. The lessons he learned there encapsulate what the world needs to learn about dealing with oppressiveness and injustice. In this sense the book has been written for the world, no matter what the particular evils exist in a particular country or culture. This book can instruct all governments that they exist for the people they govern.<\/p>\n
His imprisonment follows and reading about that experience is a lesson in determination, resilience, and faith. His election as President in 1994 feels like his time in prison prepared him for the task. He proved his mettle much like the biblical Daniel proved his faith while in the lion\u2019s den. The moral lessons found on these pages are never hammered over our heads like an angry preacher, but neither is Mandela\u2019s morality ever far from the political, social, and economic lessons.<\/p>\n
Mandela has a rock-solid belief that there is goodness in humanity; it isn\u2019t all darkness that resides in people. He states on page 432, \u201cThere is a streak of goodness in man that can be buried or hidden and it emerges unexpectedly.\u201d Such optimism is needed to survive the twenty-seven years in prison, successfully administer a country, and be an example for the world. Reading these two books together and at the beginning of the semester makes me all the more interested and excited to visit South Africa.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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