Last week saw Nelson Mandela’s 91st birthday, and an outpouring of emotion for someone who is now seen as an example to us all. Since leaving office in 1999, he has become an internationally recognised ‘elder’, dedicated himself to fighting causes such as the fight against AIDS, poverty and championing the rights of children. In doing so, he has become a role model for millions across the globe to look up to.
According to Michelle Thieriault in the Guardian, such is the admiration for Mandela in South Africa that people celebrated his birthday by emulating him in performing good deeds throughout the day. These included reading to the blind, distributing blankets to the homeless, painting school buildings and refurbishing homes for AIDS orphans. He asked the country to spend the first ‘Mandela Day’ doing good and they responded – that really says something about the man and his reputation.
Elders like Mandela play an important role in creating the well-being and identity of a nation. They represent a set of values for the population to come together around, as well as demonstrating positive behaviours to be emulated by citizens. It set me wondering whether we in the UK would ever find ourselves looking up to someone in this way, and if so, who and how?
Someone like Princess Diana springs to mind – certainly she was much admired, and the collective national reaction to her untimely death revealed a real depth of feeling for her. However, this was less apparent during her lifetime, and she may not actually have ‘done’ enough to warrant a ‘Diana Day’, or be the same kind of national and international role model that Mandela has become. The fact is that these days we tend to look up more to celebrities than we do politicians (this was only perpetuated by the expenses scandal), and our admiration is often more the result of marketing and hype than anything else.
I would like to think that we could come together around a Mandela figure here in the UK, but maybe it’s not possible – after all, we don’t have someone who has suffered the perceived injustices as him. If this is the case, it may be that Nelson Mandela is unique in our time. He is certainly an international hero – so maybe we have to be content to look to the real thing for our inspiration while he’s still around. I’ll leave the last word to Khumo Bojanyane of Soweto who owns a construction company and was quoted in the Guardian: “We were motivated by the man himself. We’re so encouraged by his life, by his selflessness and sacrifices.”
Read the full Guardian at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/8615693
