Mandela Day

Today marks the 93rd birthday of Nelson Mandela, or as he is known by his clan name in South Africa, 'Madiba'. Such an influential and iconic figure to the struggle of apartheid in South Africa, Mandela was a political activist and leader of peace at a crucial time in the country. He represents strength, courage and spirit in SA and is a hero to all. I wanted to post a few things I came across today while thinking about his legacy...

"For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others."

"There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered." (This quote is especially true for me and my experience this summer returning to the SOS Children's Village in Tlokweng, Botswana. I am now understanding the depth of my personal growth in the past year since I first experienced the kids at SOS. This place will always hold a special place in my heart and represents many things for me.)

"There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living." (I vowed at the end of the program this year to always continue to want more out of life, to never stop learning, and to never settle.)

"I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended." (We must continually search out goodness.)

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us: it's in everyone. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

"Where you stand depends on where you sit." (It's all about perspective and I have learned so much from listening to the perspectives of others.)

"No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite."

"Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity, it is an act of justice. Like Slavery and Apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings. Sometimes it falls on a generation to be great. YOU can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom."

"As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison." (What an amazing feat of forgiveness after such horrific and unjustifiable treatment of human beings. This represents the mentality in SA today: forgive but never forget. Amazing.)

"During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."

--Thank you Nelson!



Above: Taking it all in at the Robben Island Museum
(Photo cred: Maggie Campaigne)



Above: Mandela's cell on Robben Island, the fourth cell from the right

"How was your trip?"

Such a sincerely posed question, those four little words can be so difficult to hear and even harder to answer. And I mean no harm in trying to explain my frustration, I simply want to communicate my experiences to the truest, to the fullest, so that you too may understand and feel what I experienced. But I have come to realize throughout my travels that there is just something about words on a page (or in this case, on a screen) that leave the reader disconnected from the emotions and senses that one gains from being in a particular place - observing the sights, listening to the sounds and smelling the air. So this is where I pause to think, when asked "how was your trip?", about just where I will start and how I will convey the past two months of my life. At what moment do I begin to tell my story - arriving in Cape Town with laughter and fatigue; poppin' the popcorn with Morne; meeting our host families in Khayelitsha (and me being nervous, imagine that?!); the VC (volunteer centre) and Sector Projet guys; walking with Skeezo to and from placement and listening to his perspective on life in SA; Nani playing with my hair and singing to me; the little girl I met at the hip hop event who I will never forget; recognizing the strength and perserverance of the youth at Velokhaya - how amazing their spirit is; visiting places like Robben Island, District 6 and Slave Lodge and having the most uncomfortable feeling just being exposed to the former apartheid system; climbing Table Mountain in the rain and mist and not being able to see just how spectacular it really is; getting caught up in Cape Town and loving life, trying to understand what direction I would be headed in when I got home; the conversations had in Chintsa with David, the revolutionist, anarchist, feminist (wow) who had an entirely refreshing perspective on apartheid and life in South Africa; or meeting Emma, the fellow anthropologist born and raised in SA!; being at one with myself on the beach in Chintsa, at peace with my life thus far, content with everything I have been blessed with; jam sesh in Coffee Bay with drums, guitar and Bob, of course!; arriving back in Botswana - absolutely surreal; reconnecting with Sebaga, tears running down my cheeks as I read her facial expressions and saw that she remembered me!; returning back to Cape Town for one last hoorah; meeting Magda on the plane ride home - she really solidified my experiences, my happiness.

Wow, so I guess that's a start? There is so much in between, so many emotions and so many more stories. But that's life, and it's only just the beginning my friends..



Above: Skeezo, such a great mentor and positive male role model to the youth at Velokhaya





Left: David, in Chintsa

Right: Reconnecting with Sebaga at SOS

Some Reflecting...

My experience in South Africa was (so far) beyond words - I say "so far" because I am freshly back in Canada and still processing the past two months. I have been sitting in bed all day listening to music and going through photos really reflecting on my experience and trying to understand it's impact. South Africa grabbed me and swept me away - such an unbelievably beautiful country with beautiful people, despite its deep and dark past. While in Khayelitsha for the first month I lived with a host family who took me under their wing and showed me (in the brief time I stayed with them) what it was like to live in a township outside Cape Town. Once I actually went to Cape Town and saw it's wealth and beauty, I couldn't believe the disparity in lifestyles between the township and metropolis. The understanding I gained in my short time in South Africa on the apartheid system overwhelmed me. How does anyone justify such brutal systematic racism? It is still something I am grappling with and need to learn more about.



The last two months were filled with so many experiences, of all natures - meeting locals from the township and participating in local community projects, working with NGO's and youth, learning about apartheid from all perspectives - black, white and everything in between, as well as visiting museums like District 6 and Slave Lodge. And then breaking away from team programs and projects to become an independent traveler and put to use the lens I had gained from the program. Meeting other travelers and locals at each backpackers and hearing their perspective on the historical and current political climate in the country, as well as letting loose and just having fun, conversing about life in general and gaining perspective from everyones stories. It was such a whirlwind and I would do it all over again, in fact I really hope to get back to South Africa some day, there's just something about the spirit there...