Living in Cape Town for a month, I crossed paths with Nelson Mandela almost on a daily basis. Not the man himself, of course, but through powerful public art and his exceptional, ageless eloquence.  I am in awe of his choices and his determination, as I learned more about his life and circumstances.  I had some specific encounters while in South Africa that I particularly appreciated.

Seeing his prison and hearing from a fellow prisoner

Everyone who gave me recommendations for things to do in Cape Town, told me to go on the tour of Robben Island.  I will now add my voice to this universal recommendation.  The one-hour ferry ride made me realize just how isolated it was.  This was not Alcatraz.  The bus ride showed me the ruggedness of the terrain and the reality of the quarry where prisoners worked.  The presentation by a former prisoner, now a World Heritage Site tour guide, gave deep authenticity to the stories of the inequities even in prison, and of the hunger strikes for things like better food distribution and for cots versus floor mats.  I had recently watched the movie “Long Walk to Freedom” and yet I was still amazed at how it felt to be in the actual halls and be in the cells.  I found it hard to imagine having my family fund a small account so that I could buy soap and scrubbing brushes to keep my blanket clean enough to avoid demerits.  I am grateful for so much in my life, including clean blankets.   

Standing in an art installation

Near where I caught the ferry to Robben Island, I found an iMatiba installation.  The artist’s vision is to create a concrete bench, exactly according to the measurements of Nelson Mandela’s cell on Robben Island.  As soon as I stood in it, I felt its closeness and its restrictions, though it didn’t have walls.  The artist has indeed created a space for reflection, as well as a space for people to gather, sit, and listen to one another.  The vision is for the growing number of the installations to not just cause people to consider life in a cell but to consider Mandela’s vision for South Africa and how the country is an example to everyone, of growing toward being free and fair.

Hearing from one of his prison guards

I had a chance to attend a small gathering to meet Christo Brand, the author of “Doing Life with Mandela: My Prisoner, My Friend.”  He spent an hour telling story after story.  While I knew he had been telling these same stories for years, especially on the book tour, I still allowed myself to sit enraptured because this was the first time he was telling them to me.  Here was someone who had spent a lot of time with Nelson Mandela and had clearly been affected by the long friendship that had developed between them.  I was open to receiving just a little bit of that magic dust.  Some of the stories were heartbreaking, and some were heartwarming; some were about the harsh realities of imprisonment in the apartheid era and some were about small acts of human kindness.  I bought the book.

Seeing his statue and quotes

In the bustling touristy waterfront district, I came upon Nobel Square.  Here I was able to directly face Mr. Mandela – and the statues of the country’s three other Nobel Peace Prize winners.  Their comfortable stances made them approachable, though the statues are slightly larger than real life.  It reminded me that he was more than a national leader; he was a world leader.  Support from other countries helped free him from prison and helped encourage his vision.  The statue also reminded me that wore a lot of flowered shirts.

QUOTES

Nobel Square has some of Nelson Mandela’s quotes inscribed in the stone pavers.  And they are all powerful.  While his “I am prepared to die” speech* is arguably his most famous, I was inspired to read through many of his quotes to share a few of my favourites:

It always seems impossible until it’s done.

            It must have seemed impossible in 1962, that a path could exist that would lead Mandela to being President of South Africa in 1994.  So just because I can’t clearly see my full path right now doesn’t mean that I should limit my goals to what is ‘realistic’.  Further, if I’m feeling like something is impossible, then perhaps that is a flag that it is truly worth aiming for.

May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.

            How awesome is this?!  It is such an elegant way of wishing people toward living their best lives.  At the same time, it is a personal reminder to check the filters I’m using in my own decisions.  Is my reaction to a call for volunteers for a story slam, to sit the first one out (fear of doing it wrong) or to step up (hope of becoming a better story teller)?

I never lose.  I either win or learn.

            I love the sense of striving in this quote.  It reminds me that there is value in every effort, and that the effort builds on itself toward something greater than a single W.

There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you have altered.

            Oh how this strikes a chord!  A goal as I travel is to challenge my habits and defaults.  What’s to say that breakfast can’t be a bowl of noodles? Or a bed needs a top sheet? Or a pharmacy can’t close for lunch?  The more I can experience different environments, the more data I will have to combat the term ‘normal’.  An entire year of travel is more than a short exercise – I will be ‘altered’!  And perhaps I should plan some time in the thirteenth month to identify those changes.

Thank you Mr. Mandela. I believe my life is better for having spent time ‘meeting’ you.

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* “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 realized, but my lord, if it needs be, it is an ideal, for which I am prepared to die.” – Nelson Mandela