Mandela par lui-même

[Jacaylbaro]

Editions de La Martiniere publish this Thursday, October 14 an exceptional document, with a foreword by Barack Obama. Letters from Prison and unpublished notes of Nelson Mandela, who speaks of himself, his family, his struggles, doubts, dreams ...

 

A man with a broken heart that will remain faithful to its commitments....

 

 

HERE

[Gheelle.T]

JB, French-ga waad akhrisaa miyaa!! Mise waa "joornaalka qaata afka nuuh nuuhiya"

[xiinfaniin]

Gheelle, I have translated it for you

 

read below, ninyahow, and say a BIG THANK YOU .

 

Editions de La Martiniere publish this Thursday, October 14 an exceptional document, a foreword by Barack Obama. Letters from Prison and unpublished notes of Nelson Mandela, who speaks of himself, his family, his struggles, doubts, dreams ... A man with a broken heart that will remain faithful to its commitments.

 

After all that has been written about him for decades, it was believed to know everything about Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, one of the most prestigious of our time. In reality, it was only a few sections of his heroic life, revealed in unauthorized biographies, except one, interviews, speeches ... It was mainly a view of Mandela outside. In conversations with myself, a book whose publication is planned this world October 14, the first black president of South Africa speaks of himself, his family, his struggles, his trials, doubts, anxieties, dreams ...

 

Centre project for memory and dialogue, which is part of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the book has a story. It dates back to 2004 when Verne Harris, program director at the Nelson Mandela Centre memory, considers necessary to bring all the archives on Madiba. The latter, from 2004 to 2009, gives most of his personal papers. Since 2005, archivists began work sorting. In view of the material gathered, Harris decided to make a book. A team to a first selection of excerpts and passages is made.

 

Conversations with myself draws from four sources. First, the prison letters copied in two workbooks cardboard and written between 1969 and 1971. Stolen from his prison cell on Robben Island in 1971, the two books were returned to him by a police officer in ... 2004! Then there are recordings of talks between Mandela and the American journalist Richard Stengel at the base of the book Long Walk to Freedom, and with the British journalist Anthony Sampson, author of the authorized biography of Madiba. What added conversations between Mandela and Ahmed Kathrada, comrade of struggle and misfortune. Books written during his underground in 1962, constitute the third source. Finally, the fourth source, excerpts from his autobiography, begun in 1998 and probably will never be completed.

 

In this book, there is a constant Mandela in his rejection of white domination and advocating a non-racial society, where only the ideas matter. If he is a follower of nonviolence, he said that close to Nehru Gandhi ... " When he mentions the other, friends or foes, he refrains from any impropriety. We discover a broken heart Mandela, who wonders, in prison, "if the fighting leads one to the other justifies neglecting his own family." He who does not see his children grow up, who lost a son 24 years and can not attend the funeral. He who can not bury his mother. He is the husband whose wife is living a real nightmare.

 

Another Mandela amateur Shakespeare, Greek tragedies, African literature, Tolstoy ... It is sensitive to the point of feeling guilty for having a snake crushed under the wheels of his car. During his African tour in 1962, located in Egypt, where he visited the pyramids, Mandela had this thought, reminiscent of Cheikh Anta Diop: "Gathering evidence to dispel the propaganda of whites, those who claim that civilization is founded in Europe and that Africans have a rich history and not comparable to theirs. "

 

Madiba reveals how, after his release, his friends in the ANC pushed against his will to run for the presidency. If finally accepted, he swears he will not seek a second term. The book is full of anecdotes about his presidential term: encounters with François Mitterrand, Margaret Thatcher, John Paul II, Bush, Chissano, the Eskimos in Canada, his first visit to the UN ... And also his personal commitment In 2000, the resolution of the conflict that drives him to blame each other for their inability to agree on the essentials, the constant internal dissensions, giving the impression that nothing is important and ignorance of the art of compromise.

 

In closing the book, readers will know nothing about the reasons for divorce from Winnie. But he retains the image of Mandela true to its roots and commitments, open to the world. And that says: "One of the problems that worried me deeply involved in prison the false image I had inadvertently thrown into the world I was considered a saint. I've never been, even if one refers to the definition down to earth that a saint is a sinner who is trying to improve. Excerpts.

 

About Emperor Haile Selassie

 

"When I saw him [in 1962, Ed], we attended a military parade, and that was very impressive [He whistles.] Absolutely awesome. And there was handing out awards to soldiers, all those he received a certificate decorated ... A very beautiful ceremony - a very dignified man - and he also gave me a medal. There were American military advisers and groups of military advisers from other countries. They also distributed medals. But see the whites approaching a black emperor and bow before him was also very interesting. "

 

The lesson of Algeria, 1962

 

"[Dr. Mostefai] told us the story of the Algerian revolution. The problems they had. How they started. Initially, they thought they could beat the French on the battlefield, inspired by what happened in Vietnam. [...] Then they realized it would not happen. It was conducting a guerrilla war. Even their uniforms have changed, because at that time the army should always be moving, attack, [or] to move constantly. They had a kind of narrow bottom pants and light shoes. It was extremely fascinating, the way they forced the French army to follow them consistently.

 

They attacked in Tunisia, they launched an offensive on this side. The French, in response, moved their army from the west, from the Moroccan border, because the Algerians were attacking on both sides, from Tunisia and Morocco. Even if they had units fighting inside the territory, the bulk of the troops was based in these two countries ... So they launched an offensive from Tunisia, they entered further in Algeria and the French moved their army stationed west, near the Moroccan border, to counter this offensive. And when the army was gone, off again on the offensive from Morocco, you know? The French redeploying their forces to Morocco, and they continued to move them all the time that way.

 

Really, all these men were very interesting, absolutely fascinating. [...] The spectacular attacks carried out successfully by the revolutionaries led to the Algerians to regain their dignity. In Algeria, they have established commandos area, with specialized functions. Their activity involves no economic benefit, but it is extremely helpful to inflate the morale of the population. However, such actions are not allowed to fail. Commando operations include, for example, openly attacks on French soldiers in town, or planting bombs in cinemas.

 

Do not take for granted the declaration of a potential recruit is saying ready to fight. It must be put to the test. In one village, 200 people declared themselves ready to join the FLN. They then explained that the next day, the enemy would launch an attack. Then they asked for volunteers. Only three men raised their hands. Another time we asked for new recruits to walk at night to a place where they would put their weapons. They arrived at midnight and were told that the man who had promised to deliver the weapons had not arrived, after which they were advised to return the next day. Those who complained that we showed could be trusted in difficult conditions. "

 

On the prospect of the death penalty, 1964

 

"We discussed it, as I said, and we concluded that we should not only think in terms of us who find ourselves in this situation, but depending on the fight globally. We were determined to disappear in a cloud of glory to continue the fight. It was the best service to our organization and our people. Of course, when one is alone in his cell, is thought to himself, the fact that it likely is not living. It is human, but on a collective level, we made this decision and it made us happy, anyway, to make this last service to our people and our organization. "

 

During his African tour, after his election in 1994

 

"In another country - I do not mention because people may be very likely in Africa - in another country, we felt when we were in prison and after leaving, he s' acting in a democracy, because there were elections. That's what we thought. I've been there, I am treated like a head of state, etc.. And the evening banquet, I commend the President for installing democracy in the country and have the opportunity to let people determine who should govern. But as I speak, I see people smiling ironically [Laughter.], So I asked one of us, "What is happening here? "He said," Well, you said some nice words, but do you know how many people in jail here just because they oppose the government by peaceful means? They want to compete with the current leadership in elections, but the government is afraid of them, he put them in jail. "[Laughter.] Very tough ... Now when I go to a country, I feel compelled to first read a summary of the local situation, to know the general framework of the political system and problems that exist.

 

Letter from prison to Winnie Mandela, November 6, 1970

 

"You had much better looking than I expected, but compared to what you were the last time we met in December 1968 ... The cumulative effect of a thousand constraints that you have suffered is clearly visible. On returning my cell after our interview, I was concerned. I was afraid, now that you gotta live only twelve hours each night, the loneliness and anxiety escalate your condition. This fear continues to haunt me.

 

By chance, down to the parlor on Nov. 7, I could see the boat in which you were coming into port gracefully in a cloud of steam. It was very beautiful with its bright colors. Even at this distance, it seemed a friend of the prisoners, and as he approached, I felt some tension over me. You know why! I could also see him returning to the continent. Even if he kept all his brilliance, the beauty that I saw a few hours earlier was gone. I was in this grotesque and unfriendly. As he walked away slowly on board with you on top, I felt alone in the world. The books that fill my cell, which kept me company during all these years, seem dumb, lacking response. Did I see my love for the last time? That was the nagging question that kept haunting me.

[Gheelle.T]

BiG thank you indeed!

[Jacaylbaro]

Great ...... Now we have it all done

[NASSIR]

Whoopi Goldberg always reminds me of this great movie, Sarafina (1992) which depicts in vivid portrait what was life in South Africa during the Apartheid era. It's one of my all time best movies. I recently came across the whole movie on YouTube having seen it long time ago..nostalgic

 

Lots of emotional comments as people recall the painful past of SA.

 

Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane is also one of the best books I have read on Apartheid.

[NASSIR]

Thanks JB for the book info. Will buy it.

[Jacaylbaro]

u wlc sxb ...

 

Someone promised will send me a copy ..... hope they'll keep their promises