The Interview

1.) Did you ever meet or see Nelson Mandela in person? If so, what was he like in person?

No, I’ve never had the pleasure. However, I was in Zimbabwe when Mandela was released from prison in South Africa. You may know that after his release Mandela toured neighboring states and thanked peoples in the region for their support of him throughout his years of imprisonment. Shortly after his release, Mandela visited Harare, Zimbabwe and spoke at the national stadium, and that’s where I saw him. It was thrilling!

2.) How were you, as a scholar of African history, influenced by Nelson Mandela? Have you viewed him as an inspiration?

Most certainly, I have. There can be no doubt that Nelson Mandela is one of the great figures of the 20^th century.

3.) How do South Africans today view Nelson Mandela?

Very favorably. Mandela was a crucial to the transition from Apartheid South Africa to a democratic, more inclusive nation.

4.) Have you read his books? What do you think of him as an author? How has his writing career influenced his reputation around the world?

Yes, I read his autobiography. His autobiography has a very interesting history. He first started his autobiography while imprisoned on Robben Island. He hid his manuscript in the grass area near the cells. Unfortunately, the prison guards found and destroyed the manuscript. He wrote a second draft that a fellow prisoner smuggled off the island upon his release. The autobiography we read today is a mix of those renderings as well as the help of a professional writer.

5.) I understand you have studied South African history quite a lot. Was South Africa’s struggle with apartheid something that drew you to study South African history? If so, why?

Yes. I was in High School and college during one of the most tumultuous periods of South African history, and certainly the most critical phase of the contemporary struggle. Learning about South Africa and its peoples’ struggles against prejudice has deeply informed me as a person and a scholar.

6.) How did Nelson Mandela and the ANC differ as freedom fighters from other liberation movements taking place in other African countries? Do you feel that Mandela’s leadership played a major role in the ANC’s success? If so, in what way?

This is a very difficult question! You may know that Mandela studied armed struggles and traveled to guerilla training camps before he was arrested in South Africa and subsequently sentenced to life in prison. The struggle in South Africa was unlike other 20^th century liberation in that it was primarily an urban struggle. As an industrialized country, South Africa produced highly organized workers, who were able to form unions. Schoolchildren, as well, were organized and protested against poor schools. On June 16, 1976 schoolchildren in SOWETO township outside of Johannesburg organized a march against their Apartheid schooling. The South African police shot at the students, killing several. The protests spread rapidly and soon schoolchildren across South Africa were on strike. By no means was the struggle over, however. It took another 18 years before Nelson Mandela became president. Those were years of sorrow and suffering, so you can imagine the joy of peoples when Nelson Mandela became their leader in April 1994.

7.) How did his leadership role in South Africa change when he went from freedom fighter to President?

This is another very good question! In his autobiography, Mandela writes about how he negotiated with the Apartheid authorities, as early as the late 1980s! By his own account, Mandela says that he had to break away from some of his comrades and their dedication to the struggle. Mandela believed that compromise and negotiation was the way to peace and a democratic South Africa. Mandela saw that an armed struggle against the Apartheid government would be long, bloody, and ultimately result in a military stalemate. His decision to negotiate was audacious, courageous, and, many believe, the correct decision to make.

8.) Do you think Nelson Mandela is a hero, and why? What heroic character traits do you see in him?

I absolutely do. Throughout his life, Mandela has displayed a respect for people and their ideas. His personal nobility informs everything he does, and made compromise and negotiation possible.

9.) I understand that Nelson Mandela has remained politically active after retirement. What causes is he currently involved with?

Mandela has a children’s foundation, has mediated disputes in various African countries, and supports AIDs research and prevention.

10.) Is there anything else you’d like to share about Nelson Mandela? Any interesting stories or information?

As a young man, Mandela boxed! He was a dapper dresser, and a ladies man! As a young man, he ran away to Johannesburg but was returned to his home soon afterwards. You might also know that Mandela was kind even to the people who served as his jailers. His very last place of imprisonment was near Cape Town (he was imprisoned on Robben Island, Cape Town, and this last prison) was a bungalow where he met with state functionaries, leaders and government officials. Mandela also insisted on making his own bed! You might also know that Mandela has been married three times – the first time when he was a young man in Johannesburg, the second with Winnie Mandela (who he divorced in the 1990s), and now to Gracia Machel (the widow of the former Mozambican President).

In sum, Mandela is an immensely human public figure—full of the flaws we all have. What sets him apart, I think, is his optimism and his unflagging, tireless battle against oppression wherever he finds it, often with great personal loss. He is a great man.

Final Thoughts

I am glad that I chose Nelson Mandela because I learned so much about his life and gained insight into 20^th century South Africa and its struggle for freedom. I also realizes which heroic qualities I value the most. Compromise is the most important quality, and I am especially glad that I chose Mandela because he shares this characteristic with one of my other heroes, Ronald Reagan. I also learned that I share the quality of dedication with Mandela because I did not give up in my search to find a person to interview, even though it was difficult. If I could do something differently, I would have enjoyed listening to another freedom fighter’s story, but time and resources did not allow this to occur. I was very pleased with the results, and I would gladly do this project again.

What I Learned

After reading his autobiography, consulting additional sources, and conducting my interview, I definitely believe that Nelson Mandela is a hero, mainly because of his many heroic qualities. For instance, Nelson Mandela demonstrates the values of dedication and persistence through his long fight for freedom in South Africa. In South Africa, racial segregation was legally enforced, and after WWII, the Afrikaner government in South Africa, which was made up of white people, “tightened their stranglehold on power with new racial laws that codified the apartheid system ad suppressed dissent” (“Apartheid”). The apartheid system forced blacks Africans to live separately in dangerous ghettos.

Over time, Nelson Mandela became increasingly involved in the ANC, or African National Congress, which was an organization advocating for the rights of black South Africans by working to end apartheid. As he became more active, his role as a freedom fighter took over his life. This is evident when he titles on of his chapters, “The Struggle is my life” (51). His extreme involvement shows his dedication to the cause. African history professor Dr. Shutt explains that Mandela wages an “unflagging, tireless battle against oppression wherever he finds it, often with great personal loss.” Impressed by his dedication, Dr. Shutt regards Mandela as an inspiration. Nelson Mandela demonstrated this dedication after he and his fellow freedom fighters were acquitted on charges of high treason. Though most people sympathetic to the cause saw it as a time for celebration, Mandela did not and said, ““I did not return home after the verdict. Although others were in a festive mood and eager to celebrate, I knew the authorities could strike at any moment, and I did not want to give them the opportunity” (87). Mandela realized that the fight was not over and continued to be cautious and stay out of sight. This decision shows not only his dedication, but also his shrewdness, which evokes the cleverness of Odysseus.

Heroes also inspire the people around them by their example. During his campaign for president, Mandela explained that change would not come quickly or easily and encouraged people of South Africa to have the same kind of dedication and patience that he had, saying in his autobiography, “I felt we must also tell them what we could not do. Many people felt life would change overnight after a free and democratic election, but that would be far from the case. ‘You must have patience,’ I told them. ‘You might have to wait five years for results to show’” (196). Mandela exemplifies ideals like dedication and inspires others to follow in his footsteps. Another ideal that Nelson exemplifies is the willingness to compromise. Like Reagan, Mandela used compromise to bring peace in South Africa. According to Dr. Shutt, “Mandela believed that compromise and negotiation was the way to peace and a democratic South Africa. . . . His decision to negotiate was audacious, courageous, and, many believe, the correct decision to make.” Though many of his fellow freedom fighters did not want to compromise with the oppressors, Mandela realized that refusing to compromise could lead to a long, bloody struggle that might not succeed. He became a symbol of tolerance and compromise, as well as freedom and dedication. Not only a symbol in South Africa, Nelson became an inspiration to people around the world, and Dr. Shutt notes, “There can be no doubt that Nelson Mandela is one of the great figures of the 20^th century.”

When reflecting on his journey, Mandela recognizes that he would not have been such a successful figure if it were not for his dedication and persistence, saying, “I have walked that long road to freedom. But I have discovered that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb” (202). He acknowledges that, even though apartheid is over, there are still challenges facing South Africa. Heroes recognize when more work is yet to be done. Even though improvement has been made, for Mandela, there is still room to make life better. In the spirit of continuing to improve life for others, Mandela continues to work with charitable causes, including the fight against AIDS. A huge problem in South Africa, the AIDS epidemic has killed millions in the country he worked so hard to free from oppression. A 2004 New York Times article states that , at that time, South Africa led the world in HIV infections, with 5.3 million infected people (Altman A3). Mandela works to bring attention to this issue in order to continue his dedicated struggle to improve the lives of South Africa.

The Search

Having decided on Nelson Mandela as my subject, I noticed that he had written several autobiographies, which I thought would be more interesting because the book would be told in his voice and offer a first-hand account. When I went online to search Amazon for one of his autobiographies, I noticed that I had a choice between a six-hundred-page autobiography and one that was two hundred pages. I chose the 200-page book because that number of pages could be read in the amount of time given. In order to find additional research to help me understand him better, I went to Kinkaid’s subscription databases. Although finding the additional articles was easy, when it came to finding an expert to interview, things were not as simple. I first tried to find another freedom fighter who would have insight into what Mandela experienced. However, this was difficult to find. Instead, I looked for a professor who might have more information. I had difficulty with finding one in Houston, because local college web sites did not state which history professor taught African or South African history. Talking with a family friend, I asked her if she knew of anyone, and she referred me to a South African History Professor at Hendrix College, Dr. Allison Shutt. This was a lucky break, because I thought that there was going to be no possible way of finding a person to interview.

What I Knew About Heroes

This year in English, we have focused on the concept of the hero. In the beginning of the year, we studied the Hero’s Journey. In this journey, a hero is called to action, though he might refuse at first. Then, he goes on the journey and faces many obstacles. Heroes possess qualities that help them along their journey, though they have flaws, like most people. In class, we studied several examples of heroes. In The Odyssey, the main character, Odysseus goes on a journey and faces many tasks for which he has to use his craftiness, bravery, and his strength. However, his flaw of hubris, or overweening pride, gets in the way. Other heroes we looked in class included Brutus from Julius Caesar and Biblical heroes. Today, society values different types of heroes. As children, people idolize heroes, such as superheroes or sports heroes. However, heroes can also be found in one’s immediate surroundings, such as a helpful teacher or father figure. As adults, people find new heroes to admire, and most people still strive to live up to their heroes’ examples. For example, one of my personal heroes has always been former president Ronald Reagan. I admire him because of all that he did to keep America safe from the dangers of the Cold War. The quality I admire most in Ronald Reagan is his ability to compromise and to negotiate without violence. Through compromise, he came to an agreement with the President of the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev. Qualities like Reagan’s willingness to compromise and Odysseus’s bravery define a hero.

Why I Chose Mandela

When Ms. Quillen told the class about the project and that we would be reading a biography of a person who could be considered a hero, I started to think about whom I wanted to study. At first, I considered reading about Laura Bush. I liked this idea, but I did not think that I would be able to stay interested in her for the entire semester. I feared that because she has not been a public figure for very long, there would not be enough material to discuss. When I thought about other possible subjects, I considered several twentieth century figures, and I decided on Nelson Mandela. He had all of the qualities that I thought a hero should exemplify. He was politically active for many decades, so I knew there would be plenty to talk about.