Joseph
Sithole
March
18, 2003
EDGE
– Final Paper
Trade
and Environment
Nelson Mandela:
The Making of a Troublemaker
When a child is born, he knows
little about the world that he will spend the rest of his life in. Through experiences as a young child – such
as experiences with parents, culture, family values, etc. – it is possible for
one’s childhood environment to shape many aspects of his life. Indeed, one could argue that a childhood
environment can greatly influence how one will spend the rest of one’s
life. The life of Nelson Mandela is an
interesting example of this ideology.
In his case, the connection between childhood and life is special and
goes even further than the first instinctive connections that often come to
mind. When one examines the interesting
details the childhood of Nelson Mandela, one is compelled to conclude that
Nelson’s Mandela childhood environment fashioned his politics.
In order to understand fully how the
childhood environment of Nelson Mandela fashioned his politics, one must look
at the identity of Mandela and the time and context in which he lived. Who was he and what types of political
actions did he do? Nelson Mandela was an indigenous South African political
leader. He lived in the time when South
Africa was colonized by Europeans. The
British, who wanted to secure the maritime route to India and acquire South
Africa, began to challenge Dutch settlers in the nineteenth century. At the end of the century, the British
fought a bloody campaign, known as the Boer War in 1899 against the Dutch
settlers. The war ended in a British
victory and the signing of the Treaty of Vereeniging in 1902. In effect, the treaty established a joint
British-Afrikaans condominium over South Africa and bargained away the
political rights of the native people. Moreover, in their desire to reconcile
with the Boers, the British passed the Union Act of 1910 that institutionalized
white supremacy and the inferior position of blacks. But while the British tended to adopt a policy of benign neglect,
the inclusion of a highly discriminatory “colour bar clause” in the Union Act
sowed the seeds of black protest, opposition, and revolution. What followed was blatant discrimination,
which included the introduction of blacks-only territorial reserves under the
Natives Land Act of 1913, more stringent enforcement of the system to restrict
blacks from entering urban areas, and the disenfranchisement of blacks (Gibson, 34).
Mandela earned a law degree from University of South
African in 1942 and he was a prominent member of Johannesburg’s African
National Congress (ANC). In 1952, he
became ANC deputy national president advocating nonviolent resistance to
apartheid (racial segregation).
However, after a group of peaceful demonstrators were massacred in 1960,
Mandela organized a paramilitary branch of the ANC to carry out guerrilla
warfare against the oppressive government.
After being acquitted in 1962 on charges of treason, he was arrested in
1964, convicted of sabotage, and sentenced to life in prison, where he became
the leading symbol of South Africa’s black majority. Mandela was released in 1990 after over twenty years of imprisonment
as an expression of President DeKlerk’s commitment to change. He was later elected as the President of
South Africa. Mandela and DeKlerk were
jointly awarded the peace prize in 1993 (Wesley).
Mandela’s words, “The struggle is my
life,” are not to be taken lightly.
During the 27 years that Mandela spent in prison, Mandela was hidden
from the eyes of the world. While he
quarried limestone and harvested seaweed, his example of quiet suffering was
just one of numerous pressures on the apartheid government. Public discussion of Mandela was illegal,
and he was allowed few visitors.
Nevertheless, as the years dragged on, he assumed the “mantel of
martyr”. In 1982, Mandela was moved to
a maximum security prison outside of Cape Town. This move apparently stemmed from fears by the South African
authorities. Mandela spent much of the
next six years in solitary confinement during which he was allowed a weekly
30-minute visit by his wife, Winnie. He
was offered a conditional freedom in 1984 on the condition that he settle in
the officially designated black “homeland” of Transkei. He refused the offer with an affirmation of
his allegiance to the ANC. In 1988,
Mandela was hospitalized with tuberculosis and after his recovery, he was
returned to prison under somewhat less stringent circumstances (Schneider).
Mandela’s agenda as president
consisted of defusing the still dangerous political differences and building up
the South African economy. He attempted
to build of the economy by inviting new investment from abroad, setting aside
government contracts for black entrepreneurs, and initiating action to return
blacks land seized in 1913. In order to
heal the political differences, he formed a coalition cabinet with
representatives of different groups included.
Mandela’s skill as a consensus builder, plus his enormous personal
authority helped him lead the transition to a majority democracy and what
promised to be a peaceful future.
Mandela without question was both the leading political prisoner of the
late 20th century and on of Africa’s most important reformers. The man who spent nearly three decades in
prison out of dedication to his cause became an international symbol of human
rights. Indeed, he proved to be an
effective negotiator and practical politician as well a blessing to his nation
(Callinicos).
On July 18, 1918, Nelson Rolihlahala Mandela was born
in the rural area in a tiny village near the Mbashe River, in the district of
Umtata in South Africa. He was a member
of the Xhosa nation. It is at this time
in Mandela’s life – his early childhood – that this great political leader was
forming. In that day of July, Mandela
was given the name Rolihlahla. When
this name is translated, it literally means, “pulling of the tree branch.” However, its more colloquial meaning is
“troublemaker”. Indeed, Mandela did
cause trouble for the oppressive white minority rulers of South Africa. He was the driving force for change in the
apartheid system. The inference from
Mandela’s birth name is that he was not to be a passive person. From his moment of conception, Mandela’s
parents hoped that he would cause change and or trouble in someway. This seems to suggest that from his birth,
there was already a concept that Mandela would not be an ordinary member of the
Thembu tribe, but that he would somehow change his environment. This is the kind of mentality Mandela was
raised in throughout his childhood. He
was raised to believe that he would not be a passive member of society, but
that he would take action (Sampson).
Mandela’s parent helped to shape and fashion his
politics through his childhood in another significant way. Mandela’s father, Henry Mphakanyiswa, was a
chief by both blood and custom. He was
confirmed as chief of Mvezo by the king of the Thembu tribe. Mandela’s family had been in tribal royalty
for over 20 generations; there was a long history of royalty in Mandela’s
family. In the Thembu tribe, the
leadership positions are passed down from one generation to the next. His father was a royal chief, and throughout
Mandela’s childhood, he was groomed to become the next chief when his father
passed away. This requires a very high
level of maturity and leadership at an early age. Mandela could not often be just like any of the other boys his
age; he would soon have to lead his people.
The fact that Madela’s father was a royal chief helped fashion Mandela’
s politics in two ways. It not only
prepared him for leadership positions, but it also gave Mandela a positive role
model. Mandela’s father was probably
one of the most influential people in Mandela’s childhood environment (Meredith 6-24).
If
we look even deeper into the connection between how Mandela’s father helped to
form his childhood environment – and as a result, fashion his politics – one
would have to consider the character traits of Mandela’s father. In a biography, Mandela’s father is
described as a man with a “stern manner [who] did not spare the rod when
disciplining his children.” Furthermore,
“he could be exceedingly stubborn, another trait that may unfortunately have
been passed down from father to son.”
Here, one can see that Mandela was trained at a young age to endure
suffering. This trait would serve him
well as he spent nearly three decades in prison fighting for his beliefs. He was taught to endure pain through
disciplinary beatings. In addition, the
short passage seems to suggest that Mandela obtained his
perseverance/stubbornness from a main figure in his childhood environment, his
father. This is significant because,
Mandela’s stubbornness is highly visible in his politics. He did not give up on his political views
even though they threaten his life and his wellbeing. Mandela’s strength, which he obtained from his father’s example,
is not a typical trait of the average person.
Consequently, one can see that Mandela’s childhood environment played a
great part in shaping and molding the leader.
In his autobiography, Mandela points out where he received his
rebellious nature.
When I
was not much more than a newborn child, my father was involved in a dispute
that deprived him of his chieftainship at Mvezo and revealed a strain in his
character I believe he passed on to his son [Mandela himself]. I maintain that nurture, rather than nature
is the primary molder of personality, but my father possessed a proud
rebelliousness, a stubborn sense of fairness, that I recognize myself. (Mandela
6)
The
implication from this brief passage is that Mandela himself believed that there
is a strong connection between his rebellious political views and his childhood
environment. He plainly points out that
it was not his nature to rebel, but that it was his childhood nurturing, the
experiences in his childhood environment, molded his personality; his
rebellious role model helped to fashion his rebellious politics (Mandela
32).
Similarly, Mandela’s family values
and culture, presented to him in his early childhood, proved to fashion a great
deal of his politics. For example,
Mandela’s recalls one of his childhood experiences with African culture.
In
African culture, the sons and daughters of one’s aunts or uncles are considered
brothers and sisters, not cousins. We
do not make the same distinctions among relations practiced by whites. We have no half brothers or half
sisters. My mother’s sister is my
mother; my uncle’s son is my brother; my brother’s child is my daughter, my
son. (Mandela 8).
From
Mandela’s vivid details, one can see that the concept of family is much broader
than our western view. In the terms
dictated by Mandela, the members of your family were practically all of the
people of his tribe, since the Xhosa were all distant cousins. The ideology of a broader range of family
shows how Mandela’s childhood environment fashioned his politics. Mandela did not only believe that he was
fighting for the rights of his people, but that he was fighting for his family,
his brothers and sisters. This gives
Mandela’s mission more meaning and purpose.
He cared for each of the natives of South Africa as if there were part
of his whole family. Again, we see the
influence of Mandela’s childhood environment on his political agenda.
When one looks at the roles that
Mandela played as a child, one again concludes that Mandela’s childhood
environment played a crucial part in his politics.
[Mandela]
was no more than five when he became a herd-boy, looking after sheep and calves
in the field. I discovered the almost
mystical attachment that the Xhosa have for cattle not only as a source of food
and wealth, but as a blessing from God and as a source of happiness (8)
From
the text, one can see that at a young age of five Mandela was given the task of
taking care of the livestock. This is a
hard task, and at a young age, Mandela had to learn to do the task right. He was called at a young age to be a leader
and have great responsibility. This is
different my experience, where at the age of five I could not take care of
myself let alone care after anything else.
The significance of the young Mandela being a herdsman is also seen when
one looks at the position of the cattle and sheep in the society in which
Mandela was raised. Cattle were not
just seen as pets, they representing food, wealth, happiness and a blessing
from God. All of this was entrusted to
a five year old. Mandela at the age of
five seems to have a lot responsibility.
This childhood environment would no doubt prepare him for his future
political involvement in which he would be in charge of the entire South
African country. The fact that Mandela
was given such a high responsibility prepared him for a life of leadership and
the strength to carry the weight of oppression on his shoulders. If Mandela had not been given a great
responsibility at a young age, he might not have been prepared for the upcoming
strife that he would have to endure; he might have wavered in his political
agenda to end the apartheid. Because of
his early childhood responsibility, Mandela was able to maintain his
antiapartheid position.
The responsibility Mandela’s father
gave him as a young child is only one influence that shaped his childhood
environment. Mandela can recall the
attitudes and actions that his father had with their neighbors, and when this
relationship is examined, it becomes clear that Mandela’s conceived of his
antiapartheid ideology from his father.
Mandela describes the Amafengu people as a kind of half-breeds, outcasts
from the Xhosa nation. Furthermore, he
tells us how his father did not discriminate
My
father didn’t subscribe to local prejudice toward amaMfengu and he befriended
two amaMfungu brothers, George and Ben Mbekela(11).
Clearly,
Mandela’s father did not hate other members of a racial background or
ethnicity, even when it was popular to do so.
This trait was passed on to Mandela as he fought to end racial
oppression in a time when it was popular with those in power. Mandela being of a royal background and
educated could have lived passively and not have chosen to fight in the
struggle that became his life. However,
thanks to role models like his father – who set the precedent as to how to
treat others who are different – Mandela was able to stand up for what he
believed in and make a positive impact on South Africa.
Similarly, to Nelson father, tribal
traditions played a crucial role in the development of Mandela’s childhood, and
consequently, his political involvement.
One particular tribal tradition is when I a boy becomes a man at the age
of sixteen. During this ceremony,
circumcision takes place. The lurid
details leave an unforgettable picture in the minds of the reader.
At
dawn, when the stars were still in the sky, we began our preparations. We were escorted to the river to bathe in
it’s cold waters, a ritual that signified our purification before the ceremony.
. . I was tense and anxious uncertain
of how I would act when the critical moment came. Filching or crying out was sign of weakness and stigmatized one’s
manhood. I was determined not to
disgrace myself, the group, or my guardian.
Circumcision is a trial of bravery and stoicism; no anesthetic is used;
a man must suffer in silence. . . Without a word, he took my foreskin, pulled
it forward, and then in a single motion, brought down his assegai. I felt as if fire was shooting through my
veins; the pain was so intense that I buried my chin into my chest. Many seconds seemed to pass before I
remembered the cry, then recovered, and called out “Ndiyindoda” . . . A boy may
cry; a man conceals his pain. (24)
Here
we can see that Mandela childhood cultural environment valued the endurance of
pain and suffering. This value that
Mandela received as he left childhood would allow him the strength to continue
under painful circumstances, such as 27 years in prison. If Mandela had not maintained endurance and
longsuffering as values, he would have abandoned his political agenda and
performed other tasks. The type of pain
that Mandela felt through the ceremony is almost unimaginable. Most boys in the present day USA are
circumcised near birth and do not remember the tragic event. Mandela learned at an early age what true
suffering is about and he learned to face it without any fear. This type of mentality allowed him to be
successful.
Mandela could not have come about
without the pivotal childhood environment that fashion his politics and
characteristics. The family values, culture, and class of Mandela’s childhood
truly defined the identity of Mandela. As a leader of his time, Mandela has
truly been without peer. No political
figure possessed the distinctive character traits that made Mandela truly
exceptional, namely his moral authority, tenacity and leadership skills. Moreover, his generous spirit and passion
for tolerance have enabled him to transform the racial politics of South Africa
and bequeath to his country a rare legacy of political compassion and new hope
for racial harmony.
Bibliography
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world that made Mandela: a heritage trail. Johannesburg: STE Publishers,
2000
Gibson, Angus. “Mandela, son
of Africa, father of a nation” New York: Island Pictures, c1995
Johns, Sheridan. Mandela,
Tambo, and the African National Congress : the struggle against apartheid.
New York; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991.
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Mandela : the struggle is my life : his speeches and writings brought together
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Africa, 1990
Meredith, Martin. Nelson
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the authorised biography. London: HarperCollins, 1999.
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