Thinking About Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela

Ever since I found out that Nelson Mandela died today at the wonderful age of 95, my imagination has been on overdrive.

Nelson Mandela, July 1918-December 2013

What was it like to be born a few months before the end of the first world war, in a village more than 8,000 kilometers away from the epicenter of that conflict? Why was he named Rolihlahla, which according to possibly flawed online etymological sources means "Tree branch shaker", in other words, a troublemaker? Was this meant to endow him with the power to disrupt and change?

I have been thinking about Bertold Brecht too. Seemingly strange but very logical because in my western franco-german education, Brecht's stories helped me internalize the importance of saying "no" to oppression.

Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison, for saying no.  A no that affirmed unforgettably that some ideals that he wanted to live for, were also worth dying for.

Brecht said: "Do not fear death so much, but rather the inadequate life".



Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela: Thank you for the gift of your extraordinary and adequate life and for being a "troublemaker".

Till Later,
Anne