Welkom by my Webwerf
U'amkelekile
South Africa this wondrous, fearful, exhilerating land
Blessed Are the Peacemakers
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela
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meek yet mighty
in
a land picturesque and beautiful
and
richest of all in human wealth
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Sing, the Beloved Country Like the biblical Joseph at
the other end of Africa
, Nelson Mandela spent many years in prison. But also like Joseph, Mandela was taken from prison and virtually ushered into the seat of power at the head of government. One wonders why? I think the answer may lie in the profound spiritual message Mandela represents for all humanity. Justice under law must prevail. Democratic capitalism must be allowed to flourish. Racial divisions must be bridged. Stairways of opportunity must be found for every people and stratum throughout the world. Mandela, a Christian, through the depth of his self-sacrificing courage and faith, through his exemplary loyalty to the cause of justice and humanity, through his extraordinary embrace of a vision of forgiveness for those whites who for so long persecuted their fellow man, filling their own land with the anguish of martyrs, has shown the world a lesson in heroism that every nation would do well to study.
RobtShepherd writes:
Alan Paton discusses the issue of the "white settler on a black continent, aware of his precariousness of tenure," in other words, the issue of the white man's fear.
Alan Paton, quoted in Lew Gannett's Intro to Paton's"But one must not imagine that this white settler is motivated solely by fear. He too, is a human creature. He has not lived upon earth without being influenced by the great human ideas, notably by the ideas of Christianity. Therefore, he too is a divided creature, torn between his fears for his own safety and his desire for his own survival on the one hand, and on the other, by those ideas of justice and love which are at the very heart of his religion. We are witnessing today a struggle in the hearts of men [white men] between the claims of justice and of survival, of conscience and of fear.
"It is my own belief that the only power which can resist the power of fear is the power of love. It's a weak thing and a tender thing; men despise it and deride it. But I look for the day when in South Africa we shall realize that the only lasting and worth-while solution of our grave and profound problems lies not in the use of [physical] power, but in that understanding and compassion without which human life is an intolerable bondage, condemning us all to an existence of violence, misery and fear."
RobtShepherd, the author of this page, is a "white" American (born at the very time Paton wrote his book) whose admiration for President Mandela is immense. Notwithstanding the intricacies and irritations of everyday politics, this Man is a spiritual giant in our times, whose integrity, faith and courage stand as beacons to millions of every nation and language. Madiba so well exemplifies the spiritual qualities that the passage of Paton describes, one would almost dare to call the words prophetic, and written with Madiba Mandela in mind.
Non-racial and Inclusive
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South Africa shows the way
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Nelson Mandela
the George Washington of South Africa
- Mandela, deKlerk - Nobel Peace Prize 1993
- A humour page How to tell if you're South African
- Gandhi (also) the Prisoner, by Nelson Mandela
- Charlize Theron: South Africa's REAL MEN against rape
- Mandela's Farewell Speech The Leave-taking - Pretoria, 1999.
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africa dot com Plug into africa' Access the world
God seën Suid-Afrika - religious freedom questions Long Day's Journey Into Night - Bible Society No Future without Forgiveness - Desmond Tutu sees hope Come back home - die Kom Huistoe-Veldtog Travel in South Africa - crime need not intrude on you |
SA Parliament - more accessible, more accountable
Black wildfire - African pentecostalism explosion South Africa - Business works to combat crime Symposium on South Africa: overcoming history ? ? The honest opposition - criticism for the good of all Travel to South Africa - an online voyage of discovery |
Proudly South African
Thanks to those providing cross-links
Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrica - South Africa's National Anthem : a brief history and lyrics.Mandela Interview - he reflects on his legacy and the lasting influence his 27 yrs in prison had on him.
Desmond Tutu - inspired exhortation before his apartheid inquisitors
Mandela Mandela - moral authority even in captivity
Beyers Naudé - a pastor's moral stand, swimming against the current
South African History - A brief look at this land's history
TRIUMPH: Spiritual Treasures - Africa, the most ancient continent
1994 - 99: The Mandela years - summary of accomplishments of the Mandela presidency.
Nelson Mandela's Farewell Speech - given in Pretoria, June 16, 1999.
All the Best Mandela Links - The 100 Best Links to All WWW Resources on Nelson Mandela..
African (and world) Opportunity - how DEMOCRATIC capitalism may save our rainbow future
President Mbeki Page - ANC page with bio, contact info, archived documents, portraits.
Ruth and Seretse Khama - living their faith against great odds
Edward Blyden - a Prophet? - does every race and nation have a divine-ordained role
Darfur: a genocide we can stop - the world's attention is needed now
Africa's Story is
Humanity's Story
For Your Reading Enrichment
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Excellent motion picture
Sony's 'In My Country'
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Sing the Beloved Country
V
(This site in the Web Ring is owned by Robt
Shepherd)
nou sal dit uitspruit; sal
julle dit nie merk nie? Ja, Ek maak
'n pad in die woestyn,
riviere in die wildernis.
Jesaja 43:19
Behold I am doing a new thing !
Now it shall spring forth; Shall
ye not know it? I will even make
a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43:19