Mandela

[Biggus]

What makes Mandela a great man?
Was it that he opposed apartheid?
So what?
He wasn’t alone in that
That doesn’t make him great
That would make half the world great

What makes Mandela a great man?
Was it that he led the ANC’s military wing?
So what?
Not really the stuff of greatness
Just another bloody terrorist

What makes Mandela a great man?
Was it his twenty seven years in jail?
So what?
Murder and rape will achieve that
That doesn’t make him great

What makes Mandela a great man?
Was it that he symbolized the struggle?
A beacon against apartheid
So what?
That doesn’t make him great

What makes Mandela a great man?
Is it that he’s a nice silver haired old man?
With a warm affable smile
So what?
That could be my granddad

What makes him a great man?
Was it that he was the first black president?
Of a free South Africa
Very historic
But that alone doesn’t make him great

What makes Mandela a great man
Is his humility
His humanity
He could have spoken in vengeance
Yet he spoke of reconciliation
He could have evened the score
Balanced the books
For black South Africa
He could have unleashed
A black tide of death and destruction
Upon the white minority
Pay back
But he did not
Instead he spoke forgiveness
He could have been a Mugabe
And never relinquished power
But chose to serve only one term
Then handed on the baton
His work was done
His greatness set in stone

[dizzydoll]

I almost missed this, I was reading the poems on their Title you see... but now I am pleased it caught my eye. And now my ISP is intermittent, so before I go offline again, here goes....

Like all of us, Mandela will carry positive and negative karma. Have you read any of his books? quite educational really. Yes, what do I believe... I believe certain people return over and over again [reincarnation] to affect changes like Martin Luther King, who I in fact admire more because Dr King went about his work in a non violent manner, which is somewhat different to the many tribal customs and traditions held in Africa. I only say this because I was born in Zambia and those tribes are different to the South African tribes.

Now you might be wondering why I am speaking about TRIBES in this day and age and my answer is, what goes on behind closed doors remains tribal in Africa, the leaders in Africa listen to the chiefs... that is their custom. Most people are totally unaware of this until we have a Robert Mugabe... but look at African history to see one-party states for many years like Kenneth Kaunda in Zambia [45 years I think], Banda in Malawi [45 years + he lived to be over 100 years old], Sesisko (sp?) in the Congo [also died of very old age, dictatorship for 45 +] and then his son was a dictator worse than his father, for many years afterwards. Angola, Mozambique the list goes on and on from one country to the next... You go further north of Congo into deeper and deeper dictatorships, fear, tribal custom and tribal cleansing called Genocide... which [btw] we have right now in South Africa. Xenophobia is also alive and well within South African borders. These are just some of the continents problems.

Yes, one must be brave to live in Africa. lol. joking...:biggrin5: its not as bad as the media makes out. Always remember media sells sensationalism first.

Nobody understands Africa except those who are African, white, black, brown, yellow, pink and blue...whatever!! only those who live here know. Africa is a continent of tribes, unlike any other continent on the globe.... and when you look at a map, you have to love her because she really is the most beautiful continent.

I might add that your poem is a beautiful expression to Mandela and deserves applause for that.

Edited to add and to make it clearer: African countries dont follow National guidelines as other countries do, its definitely Tribal.. South Africa is becoming more National in its effort and outlook sometimes I think... and then something happens to change my mind. Africa is not predictable by any means, but she is sparkling gem... even with all her flaws. I love Africa.

[Biggus]

Thank you

[PrinceMyshkin]

For all that, Dizzydoll, you began by asserting that Mandela will carry both positive and negative karma, but you then detail all those whose karma will be negative, without saying anything derogatory about Mandela...

Biggus: this is a magnificent tribute to one who should be humanity's role model.

[Biggus]

Thanks Myshkin

[dizzydoll]

For all that, Dizzydoll, you began by asserting that Mandela will carry both positive and negative karma, but you then detail all those whose karma will be negative, without saying anything derogatory about Mandela...

Call it a leveling of the playing field after Biggus wrote such an extraordinary tribute to Mandela.

[PrinceMyshkin]

Call it a leveling of the playing field after Biggus wrote such an extraordinary tribute to Mandela.

But what is the "playing field" that needed to be leveled? As I understood it, Biggus was not saying that Mandela was typical of Africans or even of African tribal chiefs. Why denigrate Mandela by dragging out the names of these many corrupt African dictators?

[Biggus]

I'm just happy you liked the poem

Thanks

[tailor STATELY]

Bravo.

My favorite read to date of your poems.

I have a web acquaintance from New Zealand from another forum who extols the virtues of Mandela as one would King or Gandhi. Thank you for bringing him to mind for me to ponder further.

[Biggus]

Thank you