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Tag: Mandela

  • Nelson Mandela, A Former Boxer And Fan of the Science

    With the passing of the great Nelson Mandela, the world is grieving and searching for any small tidbit about him that might give some significant insight into his life.

    Nelson Mandela, who died December 5th in his home in Johannesburg, will be remembered as a great leader of peace, his presidency and so much more.

    But Mandela had many other interests that you won’t find in his obituary.

    His ties to Rugby were well noted in the imaginative way he helped to unite his country via the South African team, the Springboks. The event was stunningly portrayed in the Clint Eastwood directed film Invictus, where Mandela was portrayed by the actor, Morgan Freeman.

    But, many may not know that Mandela was a boxer during his long stint in that apartheid prison in which he spent 27 years of his life. He used boxing, and other sports to keep himself fit, and as he put it – in his autobiography – The Long Walk to Freedom, “Boxing is egalitarian. In the ring, rank, age, color, and wealth are irrelevant… I found the rigorous exercise to be an excellent outlet for tension and stress… It was a way of losing myself in something that was not the struggle. After an evening’s workout I would wake up the next morning feeling strong and refreshed, ready to take up the fight again.”

    He also commented on boxing, saying “I did not enjoy the violence of boxing so much as the science of it. I was intrigued by how one moved one’s body to protect oneself, how one used a strategy both to attack and retreat, how one paced oneself over a match.“

    He had a special affect on one of the greatest boxers of all time, Muhammad Ali – who said about Mandela, “What I will remember most about Mr. Mandela is that he was a man whose heart, soul and spirit could not be contained or restrained by racial and economic injustices, metal bars or the burden of hate and revenge. He taught us forgiveness on a grand scale.

    “He inspired others to reach for what appeared to be impossible and moved them to break through the barriers that held them hostage mentally, physically, socially and economically. He made us realize, we are our brother’s keeper and that our brothers come in all colors.”

    HBO – during Saturday night’s Boxing After Dark tripleheader telecast from Atlantic City will replay clips of a 2001 interview with former South African President Nelson Mandela. The interviewer was Larry Merchant from Mandela’s home in Mozambique, the two discussed the icon’s involvement with and appreciation of boxing.

    Image via YouTube

  • Nelson Mandela: Prisoner, President and Father of ‘Rainbow Nation’

    The world suffered a great loss on December 5th, 2013. Nelson Mandela died in his home in Johannesburg, South Africa from a long battle with a lung infection. He was 95 years old. Born in the village of Mvezo in one of South Africa’s poorest regions, the Transkei, on July 18, 1918, Rolihlahla Dalibhunga Mandela was the great-grandson of a Tembu king. The English name Nelson was given to him by a grade school teacher.

    Mandela is best known for his decades of heroism in the face of apartheid, civil rights, and in directing a movement of peaceful, nonviolent defiance against the South African government and its racist policies.

    In 1993 Mandela and the former president of South Africa, Frederik Willem de Klerk, together won the Nobel Peace Prize for their work for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime, and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa”

    Mandela became the commander-in-chief of Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation), the armed underground wing of the African National Congress in 1961, and the following year underwent military training in Algeria and Ethiopia. He then went underground for more than a year.

    He was arrested in 1964 and subsequently sentenced to life in prison during the now famous Rivonia trial where he delivered a speech that was to become the platform of the anti-apartheid movement.

    “During my lifetime, I have dedicated myself 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. … It is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

    He was released on February 11, 1990 from 27 years in prison for opposition to the apartheid governmental regime. He had aged a bit, but he continued to guide South Africa out of the chaos and bloodshed much too well known to its people.

    When president FW de Klerk freed Mandela, it sent a message to the world, and to those who had ultimately suffered in South Africa – Apartheid was over.

    When Mandela spoke in his first public appearance after his release, he said, “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.”

    “He came out a far greater person than the man who went in. He had learned to understand the foibles and weaknesses of human beings and to be more generous in his judgment of others,” said former archbishop Desmond Tutu.

    Mandela was South Africa’s first black president in the first ever fully representative election. South Africans showed up in droves to vote for him. But his task was not an easy one… as his comment confirms while being sworn in, “We enter into a covenant that we shall build a society in which all South Africans, both black and white, will be able to walk tall, without any fear in their hearts, assured of their inalienable right to human dignity — a Rainbow Nation at peace with itself and the world.”

    And Mandela held true to his promise, succeeding in preventing further devastating racial violence. As President for only one five-year term, he retired in 1999 and devoted the rest of his life to mediating conflicts, especially the war in Burundi.

    “His life tells a story that stands in direct opposition to the cynicism and hopelessness that so often afflict our word,” US President Barack Obama wrote in the foreword to Mandela’s most recent autobiography.

    Mandela leaves behind, his wife Graca and daughters Maki, Zindzi and Zenani and dozens of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

    Mandela remains a peaceful – yet strong symbol in South Africa, a country still torn apart by racism and inequality.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Nelson Mandela’s Daughters Hear of Death at Premiere

    The two youngest daughters of Nelson Mandela were told of their father’s death at Thursday’s London premiere of “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom,” a film celebrating the life of the iconic anti-apartheid fighter. However, Zindzi and Zenani insisted that the screening continue.

    The two had just met Britain’s Prince William and wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, when they were informed of the news by telephone and, according to the Nelson Mandela Foundation, “immediately left the cinema.”

    Zindzi, 55, had spoken of her father on her way into the cinema, saying that he was “fine” but “frail” and added that she was “hoping to see more of him.” Soon after entering the cinema, British news reports that she “seemed to be overcome.”

    After a two-minute silence following the film, Prince William gave an unscripted response, not typical of a major royal at a news event. “We were just reminded of what an extraordinary and inspiring man Nelson Mandela was and my thoughts and prayers are with him and his family right now.”

    The shocked audience was told of Mandela’s death as the credits rolled, according to Yahoo News.

    The actor who played Mandela in the flim, Idris Elba, said in a statement: “I am stunned at this very moment, in mourning with the rest of the world and Madiba’s family. We have lost one of the greatest human beings to have walked this earth; I only feel honored to be associated with him.”

    Earlier that evening on the red carpet, the British actor had said that he hoped Mandela lived long enough to see the film. “I think he has seen parts of the film but ultimately it’s about his life, he’s been there, he’s done it — so he might not even need to see it.”

    The film was made by the Weinstein Company. Harvey Weinstein, head of the studio, said, “We count ourselves unspeakably fortunate to have been immersed in Nelson Mandela’s story and legacy. It’s been an honor to have been granted such proximity to a man who will go down as one of history’s greatest freedom fighters and advocates for justice.”

    Zindzi and Zenani were only toddlers when their father began his prison sentence at South Africa’s Robben Island in 1964.

    image via: YouTube

  • Idris Elba Attends “Mandela” Premiere After Hospitalization For Asthma Attack

    Not even a brief stay in the hospital can keep Idris Elba away from doing his job.

    On Friday, Elba suffered an asthma attack after boarding a flight set for South Africa. He was immediately taken to a hospital in the United Kingdom.

    “I’ve battled asthma most of my life and it just overwhelmingly took me down on Friday while I was sitting on a plane. It was a very scary moment for me. A doctor on the plane helped me through it,” said Elba.

    Elba was on his way to Johannesburg to do some press for his upcoming film, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, before the actual premiere. Elba’s arrival to South Africa was delayed, but not for long.

    On Sunday, 41-year-old Elba may not have been his usual self, but he was able to attend the premiere, along with co-star Naomie Harris.

    It is reported that Elba was seen wiping his brow from time to time. He was also seen sitting beside Nelson Mandela’s ex-wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.

    Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom is the first film about Nelson Mandela that has been approved by the Mandela Foundation. In the film, Elba portrays Mandela and Harris portrays Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. The film spans from Mandela’s early life, his education, his 27 years in prison, and his inauguration as president of South Africa.

    Elba took the role very seriously, traveling to South Africa to prepare for the role, and even spending a night locked in a cell on Robben Island. The cell was located next to the same one Mandela spent 18 years in. Elba said, “I wanted the audience to know what it was like once Mandela and his colleagues were jailed and the crowds dissipated.” He added, “Every time I did the cell scenes in the film, I thought of that night. It wasn’t pretend for me.”

    The movie has seen much praise from many different film festivals, as well as from the Mandela’s themselves.

    For those who have been lucky enough to see the film, they have nothing but good things to say about the film, as well as Elba’s and Harris’ performances.

    Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom hits theaters December 18, 2013.

    [Image via Idris Elba’s Twitter.]