Af Marianne Millstein
Mandelas indsats og rolle er ubestridelig, men en hel nation står og falder ikke med et enkelt menneske.
As international and national news media are preparing for the death of an icon, the debate about what will happen when Nelson Mandela dies has again resurfaced.
Without dismissing the enormous significance of Madiba (Mandela) the questions about South Africa’s political demise (fald) following the future loss of the man are unwarranted (uberettiget).
South Africa and the world are about to see the symbolic end of an era. The overwhelming tribute to Madiba as a statesman and humanist speaks volumes about him and his legacy.
South Africa’s transition has been referred to as a miracle, not least thanks to a generation of leaders of whom Mandela (94) is the greatest of the great.
However, the ‘Madiba era’ ended a long time ago. Mandela has not had any practical political role recently beyond the legacies of his values and ideas, which continue to inspire old and new generations of South Africans.
The last years, hopes have been shattered for many who believed that, under the guidance of the ANC, South Africa could continue the democratic progress and avoid the traps into which so many other liberation movements had fallen.
Helt og inspiration, men også et menneske
During the last year, the international and domestic media have painted a depressing picture of slow economic growth, corruption, police violence and pressure against core constitutional institutions. It is much to be said about to what extent this is the full reality of South Africa today.
What is important here is that set against the background of this narrative (fortælling) of demise, Mandela is yet again represented as the glue (kit) that holds a dissolving society together.
The enormous importance that Mandela has had is indisputable. Like for so many others, Mandela was and is my hero and inspiration.
He was the figure that most significantly shaped my political awakening during the last years of the anti-apartheid struggle in the 1980s. He became the symbol of people’s struggle against the apartheid regime, and of the miracle of the transition.
He negotiated and led South Africa through a fragile situation before and after the first elections in 1994. He emphasized the need for forgiveness and reconciliation in order to move forward.
But I want to caution against reducing these historical events and their impact on contemporary politics to him alone – that would be giving one man – historically and contemporarily – too much influence.
Vis dog respekt for hans resultater
As Nathan Geffer wrote in December in The Guardian (under overskriften “Mandela er ikke Sydafrika“, red.), the suggestion that South Africa will disintegrate when Mandela dies is disrespectful to his achievements.
It makes invisible (skygger for) the complexities of the man himself, as well as the diversities within the ANC that has always been inherent in the movement, and in which Mandela also played his part.
We do both Mandela and South Africa a disservice if we swathe (indsvøber) Mandela in a halo (glorie) of heroism without also seeing him as a politician, a strategist, and a man who made difficult compromises both during his negotiations with leaders of the apartheid regime and as president.
Not least this would be to devalue the political consciousness of ordinary South Africans to a question of eternal loyalty and dedication to one man. Society and politics in contemporary South Africa are more complex and nuanced than this.
These are critical times but South Africa will not fundamentally change nor collapse when Mandela dies.
What we can hope for is that the ideas, values and humanism of Mandela (and others from his generation) can regenerate, inspire, and strengthen much needed democratic forces.
Norske Marianne Millstein (38) er forsker med speciale i byanliggender på Nordiska Afrikainstitutet (NAI) i Uppsala i Sverige.
Se også
http://www.nai.uu.se/research/researchers/marianne-millstein
Meget mere om Mandela på
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela
Kilde: NAIs seneste nyhedsbrev torsdag.
