Peace – Historical Look Part II Yesterday we looked at Gandhi and how he invested 23 years of his life before justice, through peace, was seen by his people (Indians) in South Africa. Today we look at apartied and the journey of Nelson Mandela. What is peculiar about apartied is the minority (whites) ruled over the majority (blacks). It all started around 1913 with the Land Acts. These acts systematically moved Blacks from their land to government designated lands to isolate them making it nearly impossible for them to ever gain any political power. Many credit Woodrow Wilson’s League of Nations and the Great Depression with the speedy oppression of the majority Black South Africans. Many Blacks who were once part of the middle class were moved to places that quickly became run down due to lack of care for either self or property. Nelson Mandela, in 1961, began a 27 year journey for social justice for ALL South Africa. Nelson Mandela was 30 years old when Gandhi died. By this time Mandela had acquired his education and exposure to militant tactics. According to Mandela’s own words, he started out trying the peaceful protest approach but quickly grew weary of peaceful resistance being met with more and more aggressive force. Mandela once said, “[I]t would be wrong and unrealistic for African leaders to continue preaching peace and nonviolence at a time when the government met our peaceful demands with force. It was only when all else had failed, when all channels of peaceful protest had been barred to us, that the decision was made to embark on violent forms of political struggle.” Malcom X said something very similar at about this same time in history. In 1962, he was tried and convicted of conspiracy against the state. He and a number of his friends managed to avoid a death sentence but did find themselves in the worst prison in South Africa. It was here that Nelson Mandela returned to Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violent resistance. In 1980, Oliver Tambo started the “Free Mandela” campaign and within a decade, Mandela was released. During that decade Mandela spoke of the imbalance of power and inequalities established by the minority in power. The United Nations levied sanctions against South Africa while other countries pressured them to end these practices as well. Soon a new president came to the fore (F. W. de Klerk), who began removing the burdensome legislation that divided the country. By 1990 Mandela was released from prison and the two men worked together to write the countries new constitution. I realize there are many other details associated with the story but I think it interesting to see how peaceful means ultimately won the day and with more force than the “powerful” could bring to bear. One of Mandela’s most famous quotes was, until I changed myself, I could not change others. That is similar to what we see in Matt 7:4, “…how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye, but not notice the log that is in your own eye.’” Many believe that Nelson Mandela was a Christian. The evidences can be seen even in his militant years. Ultimately, he choose to shod his feet with the shoes of “readiness given by the gospel of peace.” Mandela wasn’t perfect. He too was a flawed character but tried to follow the principles of peaceful co-existence. In the end, his name was associated with an even greater name: Jesus.
Posted on: Thu, 28 Aug 2014 09:26:27 +0000
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