He Lived Among Us - Tribute to Nelson Mandela, by Wayne Visser

HE LIVED AMONG US

By Wayne Visser

Tribute to Nelson Mandela (1918-2013)

He lived among us –

This child named Rolihlahla

This boy called Nelson

This man we knew as Mandela –

And now he is gone

He shared our days –

This son of Africa, our Madiba

This father of a nation, our Tata

This guardian of humanity, our Elder –

And now he is gone

He was one of us –

This shepherd of the people

This harbinger of hope and joy

This legend of our time and place –

And now he is gone

He was our leader

Our defender, our nation’s spear

And he showed us how to fight

He was our enemy

Our nemesis, our conscience

And he showed us how to be free

He was our light

Our sun, our inspiration

And he showed us how to forgive

Yet did we ever really know him?

This lawyer who became an outlaw

This soldier who became a peacemaker

This prisoner who became a liberator

How can we fathom his depths?

This father who lost a son and wife

This comrade who lost so many friends

This martyr who lost twenty-seven years

How can we see into his heart?

This intellectual who became an activist

This statesman who became a gardener

This icon who became the world’s beloved

We remember him

For his skilful manoeuvring

Through the political maze

And even more for his love of dancing

We remember him

For his human touch

Among the powerful and powerless

And even more for his love of children

We remember him

For his human foibles

That made him fallible like us

And even more for his love of justice

He lived among us –

And now it is for us to carry his torch onward

It is for us to follow his shining example

It is for us to fight for his unshakeable ideals –

Now that he is gone

He shared our days –

And now we must make the rest of our days count

We must work as he did to set others free

We must show that the spirit can triumph in the end –

Now that he is gone

He was one of us –

And now we are challenged to become one of him

We are inspired to be the best we can be

We are reminded that ‘I am because we are’ –

Now that he is gone

Nkosi Sikelel’iMandela!

We will honour his memory

By never losing faith in times of adversity

We will celebrate his life

By always daring to hope for a miracle

We will keep his legacy alive

By choosing to walk daily in his footsteps

On the path of love

Amandla! Awethu!

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Image credits: Painting by Alfred Hilton (c) 2013

Mandela and De Klerk by Wayne Visser

Divergent paths by twists of fate

Ordained to meet, then separate

High branches grown from different stems

That intertwined to make amends

 

Who are these sons of destiny

That changed the course of history?

Who are these dons of liberty

That led their people to be free?

 

Mandela – from the Themba clan

Among the hills of Transkei land –

Was schooled to be a royal chief

But chose instead the golden Reef

 

De Klerk – of Afrikaaner stock

Who staked their claim to Transvaal’s rlock –

Was steeped in National Party depths

And followed in his father’s steps

 

Both knocked upon unopened doors

Both tipped the scales of unjust laws

And each was raised to lofty heights

By willing hands and vexing plights

 

Mandela – asked to fight the ground

Where dignity was beaten down

De Klerk – compelled to guard the fort

Of privilege the past had bought

 

The stage was set for black and white

To go to war or lose the fight

There was no neutral ground to stand

Each corner backed their leading man

 

Mandela raised the nation’s spear

The State replied midst rising fear

The ‘pimpernel’ was put on trial

And banished to the Cape’s jail isle

 

For twenty seven years and more

The battle raged upon the shore

Until De Klerk set Nelson free

To take their place in history

 

Negotiations followed swift

To heal the wounds and mend the rift

And even while blood soaked the ground

A partnership was sought and found

 

Until the day – that happy dawn –

A rainbow nation’s dream was born

We owe a debt of thanks and praise

To those who led us through the maze

 

Mandela brought great unity

And showed that truth can set us free

His lack of spite inspires us still

To strive to serve a higher will

 

De Klerk’s great gift was letting go

And having faith that trust can grow

He showed that change is like a seed

That knows no bounds of race or creed

 

And so we raise our voice and say:

We celebrate upon this day

Two heroes of democracy

Who rescued our humanity.

Copyright 2008

Me, De Klerk and my co-author of "South Africa: Reasons to Believe", Guy Lundy

Picture 2003