December 5, 2013
One man’s terrorist
Is another man’s freedom fighter…
Robyn Dixon, my beloved Times’ South African correspondent, had an article in this morning’s paper about Nelson Mandela’s precarious health. I was going to urge Robyn to take her writing about South Africa to-the-next-level, and quit being so preoccupied about apartheid (which has been gone close to 40% of the time it existed [since I even I can’t understand what I wrote just now, let me try again — I am trying to say that apartheid lasted for 47 years and South Africa has experienced equal rights for-just-about-20-years-now.]): but then I remembered that I was done with pontificating – and since I doubt that Robyn ever reads my e-mails to her, I quite forgot about her article…and then…Son Tyler informed me that Mandela had died.
As my readers know – I sent Son Tyler off to Cape Town in November 2012 so that he might experience some of his Daddy’s experiences. Tyler wants to go back to South Africa ASAP – as he enjoyed that South African air and soil and surf and meat…
I have written before, that Mandela may have been involved with-a-killing-or-two which contributed to his incarceration at Robbin Island (our Southern States have dealt much more harshly with our American Blacks for lesser infractions); but never before did I realize how the Sharpeville massacre affected him and how this incident steered him into violent retaliation (which now makes very good sense to me now). At Robbin Island however, Nelson had a-parade-of- visitors over-the-years; and, if his incarceration there was so terrible – I’m surprised that he reached the age of 95 (and was still quite vital up to age 90).
Many folks suggest that I equivocate on behalf of White South Africa and the institution of apartheid. I do not. I often told my S. African friends, peers, schoolmates and anyone I was in discussion with – that apartheid could not last: that there was no way a minority could maintain indefinite control over a majority. They said I was wrong – I was proven correct (I have written elsewhere of the many South African Whites who sought and fought for equal rights and who were often punished as severely as the Black Man).
So now, almost-20-years into the transference of power, all South Africans enjoy equal (political) rights – yet the social cost for these equal rights has been a staggering: An unprecedented rise in crime and unemployment; and, the loss of socialized medicine. Yep, under apartheid, South African Blacks had free medical care. Robyn D. and CNN never seem to talk about this…what price democracy?
An old buddy called me this evening and we reminisced about Peter Gabriel’s, “Biko” – and the affect this song had upon the world: he remembered me as a lifeguard attempting to keep Blacks off of “White Only” beaches (which I only did on-a-couple-of-occasions, and then, reluctantly). But I also smoked some great “poison” with the dock workers of Port Elizabeth – and was shunned by the White workers for hanging with “Blacks.” It was one of these Black African dock workers who said to me: “You’re a cool White Man, ‘baas’ – but when the revolution comes, I will shoot you down like a dog in the street – because on that day, you will simply be da White Man.”
And so, I’ve also gone on record stating that Nelson Mandela was the greatest man of the 20th century…and I’m happy that he made it into the 21st (a bit). The eulogies I’ve already heard have brought tears to my eyes…because I know, if not for Nelson Mandela – with the coming of democracy to South Africa — there would have been allotta blood in-the-streets…