Asimbonanga, MANDELA

In March 1997, two icons of freedom visited Bangladesh. The country was celebrating a milestone in its nationhood, the silver jubilee of independence. Nelson Mandela of South Africa and Yasser Arafat of Palestine were at the green fields of Suhrawardy Uddyan. It was here that another icon of his people's freedom, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, had created history quarter of a century earlier with a speech that went down as one of the finest of the twentieth century. Mandela and Arafat came to express solidarity with a nation that was fortunate to have fought for its freedom. Not too many nations in human history have had this opportunity and privilege. 
In his speech, Nelson Mandela acknowledged Bangladesh's liberation struggle and said that he felt honoured to pay homage to this nation. “Escaping the clutches of oppression and autocratic rule is never easy,” he said. Showing deep respect for Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Father of Bangladesh, the Father of South Africa, Mandela, felt proud to be a friend of Bangladesh. He acknowledged the support of Bangladesh and also the freedom loving people of the world for South Africa's struggles to establish a nation for all South Africans. Being the statesman he was, he duly acknowledged that all developing countries have a common enemy in hunger and poverty, and that this needs to be fought together by all of humanity.

Freedom movements around the world have some common features. They are all struggles to establish a just cause against injustice. They can follow paths of non-violence, armed struggle, or both. Freedom struggles also create their leaders from the most unpredictable of places. Patience in adversity make these leaders emerge from the ashes like the ancient phoenix from Ferdowsi's “Shah-Nam-E”. In the fable of the battle of just against unjust, the leaders roar like Aslan the Lion of CS Lewis' “Narnia”. They conquer tyranny and lay the foundations of a just and tolerant society. Real world struggles are a continuation of life as articulated in TS Eliot's “Four Quartets”: “to make an end is to make a beginning.” Victory in one war or battle is in essence the end of one phase and the dawn of the next. This is where a leader has the opportunity to rise above all and become a statesman. This is where Nelson Mandela stood out from the rest.
The fight against apartheid in South Africa was part of a universal struggle of black people around the world for centuries. The South African experience went a few steps ahead. The memoirs of a young Mahatma Gandhi speak of racial segregation in South Africa against people of all colours and races except for Europeans. Nelson Mandela emerged as the definitive voice against this apartheid that was one of the worst racial segregations in human history. Jails can prolong the inevitability, but they cannot deter the obvious -- victory of the oppressed against their oppressors. The victory of Mandela and his people was just a matter of time. Would South Africa “live happily ever after” as fairy tales always end? That required a wise decision at the crossroads of history. Nelson Mandela chose Robert Frost's “The Road Not Taken”. He chose love over hatred. South Africa in post-apartheid would include all the colours of the spectrum of light that shine from the heavens -- from white at one end to black at the other.
In 1987, Johnny Clegg, a white British-South African dedicated a song to the undisputed leader of South Africa and all freedom loving people of the world. This was three years before Mandela's release and the dawn of a new South Africa. The song was “Asimbonanga, Mandela”. It meant, “We have not seen you, Mandela”. It became the unofficial anthem of the pride of freedom the South African people earned with hardship and preserved with grace. This was all possible because of a Statesman of Statesmen, Nelson Mandela -- The Father of the Rainbow Nation. South Africa and her people lived happily ever after. RIP, Mandela.
For further viewing of Johnny Clegg perform “Asimbonanga” with Nelson Mandela in 1999: http://bit.ly/1eZiDdJ

Asrar Chowdhury teaches economic theory and game theory in the classroom. Outside he listens to music and BBC Radio; follows Test Cricket; and plays the flute. He can be reached at: asrar.chowdhury@facebook.com