After a long illness, South Africa's first black president and anti-apartheid legend Nelson Mandela died yesterday at the age of 95.
One of the giants of the 20th century who will be missed by many. Personally I have admired Mr Mandela a lot for having evolved from a freedom fighter, to a political leader, a unifier, and later to an elderly statesman and father figure of almost unmatched stature and greatness.
Mandela has become a yardstick for many leaders with his warm, humble, charismatic, humorous, down-to-earth style. Never afraid of admitting his own shortfalls and areas of weaknesses. He would be able to do it even with a flashy, honest, and respectful smile. Something most leaders usually would not dare to do.
Many were strongly influenced and inspired by his visionary, authentic, and thoughtful speeches. Speeches about freedom, respect, human dignity, equality, the right to live your own life and to become the person you´d like to be.
The Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory has archived almost every speech ever given by Nelson Mandela. In the following I'd like to share with you some beautiful excerpts of three of his most memorable speeches which I have screened and selected during the past day (I'd like to encourage you to browse through the database yourself to find for yourself the speech which might inspire you the most):
An Ideal I Am Prepared to Die For, 1964
This is one of Nelson Mandela’s most famous speeches. It was delivered from the dock of the Pretoria courtroom in 1964 at the opening of the defense case in the Rivonia Trial. He was imprisoned for two years already by then. The original speech is approximately 176 minutes long.
I have been influenced in my thinking by both West and East. All this has led me to feel that in my search for a political formula, I should be absolutely impartial and objective. I should tie myself to no particular system of society other than that of socialism. I must leave myself free to borrow the best from West and from the East...
South Africa is the richest country in Africa, and could be one of the richest countries in the world. But it is a land of extremes and remarkable contrasts. The whites enjoy what may well be the highest standard of living in the world, whilst Africans live in poverty and misery...
The complaint of Africans, however, is not only that they are poor and whites are rich, but that the laws which are made by the whites are designed to preserve this situation. There are two ways to break out of poverty. The first is by formal education, and the second is by the worker acquiring a greater skill at his work and thus higher wages. As far as Africans are concerned, both these avenues of advancement are deliberately curtailed by legislation...
The lack of human dignity experienced by Africans is the direct result of the policy of white supremacy. White supremacy implies black inferiority. Legislation designed to preserve white supremacy entrenches this notion. Menial tasks in South Africa are invariably performed by Africans...
The only cure is to alter the conditions under which Africans are forced to live and to meet their legitimate grievances. Africans want to be paid a living wage. Africans want to perform work which they are capable of doing, and not work which the Government declares them to be capable of...
Above all, My Lord, we want equal political rights, because without them our disabilities will be permanent. I know this sounds revolutionary to the whites in this country, because the majority of voters will be Africans. This makes the white man fear democracy...
During my lifetime I have dedicated my life 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 will live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal for which I hope to live for and to see realised. But, My Lord, if it needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."
Nelson Mandela's address to a rally in Cape Town on his release from prison, 1990
The first public speech by Nelson Mandela in 27 years, after his release from prison. Mandela ends this address with a quote from the words of his trial in 1964.
Friends, Comrades and Fellow South Africans, I greet you all in the name of peace, democracy and freedom for all. I stand here before you not as a prophet, but as a humble servant of you, the people. Your tireless and heroic sacrifices have made it possible for me to be here today. I therefore place the remaining years of my life in your hands. on this day of my release I extend my sincere and warmest gratitude to the millions of my compatriots and those in every comer of the globe who have campaigned tirelessly for my release...
Today the majority of South Africans, black and white, recognise that apartheid has no future. It has to be ended by our own decisive mass action in order to build peace and security. The mass campaigns of defiance and other actions of our organisation and people can only culminate in the establishment of democracy. The apartheid destruction on our sub-continent is incalculable. The fabric of family life of millions of my people has been shattered. Millions are homeless and unemployed, our economy lies in ruins and our people are embroiled in political strife...
The need to unite the people of our country is as important a task now as it always has been. No individual leader is able to take on this enormous task on his own. It is our task as leaders to place our views before our organisation and to allow the democratic structures to decide on the way forward. on the question of democratic practice, I feel duty bound to make the point that a leader of the movement is a person who has been democratically elected at a national conference. This is a principle which must be upheld without any exceptions...
The people need to be consulted on who will negotiate and on the content of such negotiations. Negotiations cannot take a place above the heads or behind the backs of our people. It is our belief that the future of our country can only be determined by a body which is democratically elected on a non-racial basis...
We have waited too long for our freedom. We can no longer wait. Now is the time to intensify the struggle on all fronts. To relax our efforts now would be a mistake which generations to come will not be able to forgive. The sight of freedom looming on the horizon should encourage us to redouble our efforts. It is only through disciplined mass action that our victory can be assured. We call on our white compatriots to join us in the shaping of a new South Africa. The freedom movement is a political home for you too. We call on the international community to continue the campaign to isolate the apartheid regime...
In conclusion, I wish to quote my own words during my trial in 1964. They are as true today as they were then. I quote: "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have carried 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."
His retirement announcement, 2004
Thank you very much to all of you for taking time out of your very busy schedules to come and listen to me this morning. I have always said that many people come to such gatherings where we are present merely out of curiosity to see what an old man looks like. Having observed the media speculation in recent weeks about my retirement and pending demise, I am even more certain you are present today for exactly that reason. But that does not in any way lessen my appreciation for your presence; on the contrary, we are very happy that old age can still inspire such undeserved attention...
One of the things that made me long to be back in prison was that I had so little opportunity for reading, thinking and quiet reflection after my release. I intend, amongst other things, to give myself much more opportunity for such reading and reflection. And of course, there are those memoirs about the presidential years that now really need my urgent attention. When I told one of my advisors a few months ago that I wanted to retire he growled at me: "you are retired." If that is really the case then I should say I now announce that I am retiring from retirement...
I do not intend to hide away totally from the public, but hence forth I want to be in the position of calling you to ask whether I would be welcome, rather than being called upon to do things and participate in events. The appeal therefore is: don’t call me, I’ll call you.
That is also for our generous business community not to feel too disappointed: I shall not totally forget you. When I notice a worthy cause that needs your support, I shall certainly call you. Seriously therefore: my diary and my public activities will, as from today, be severely and significantly reduced. We trust that people will understand our considerations and will grant us the opportunity for a much quieter life. And I thank all of you in anticipation for your consideration. This does, however, not mean that the work that we have been involved in, supported and promoted comes to an end. It has been our practice to establish organizations to do certain work and then to leave it to those organization to get on with the job."