The point of this post is to generate debate, a critical re-look into what and who defines an African hero.

Do we allow WEST define for us an African hero or do we define for ourself who is an African hero?

Mandela is case study.

What has Mandela done for Africa?

Burundi/Rwanda he did not speak-up

Dafur he did not speak-up

Sudan/Somali he did not speak-up

Even the killing of Africans by his people in South African he did not speak-up

Mandela is a very old man. He did his bomb making to fight for freedom as a young man. Let the man rest. Wetin!

Beaf:

Mandela is a very old man. He did his bomb making to fight for freedom as a young man. Let the man rest. Wetin!

I seriously agree, the author of this thread is trying to spark a flame in a middle of a hail storm. He is a symbol for peace in the world(He did more than the few things you mentioned), he did his part and that is that so what more do you want. Let him rest besides he is too old to take in modern day politics. However the person you should question is Mbeki.

he did his part and that is that so what more do you want.

what part exactly did he do?

He did his bomb making to fight for freedom as a young man.

was this a terrorist act or not?

why are today's 'freedom' fighters are called terrorists.

in understanding these, we can illuminate how they shape our lives.

Mandela was a commander of Umkhonto we Sizwe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umkhonto_we_Sizwe
He was present at the testing of their very first bomb.
I really don't think it is apropriate to deviate from the subject of this article to begin defining terrorism and freedom fighting. Mandela has done his bit, spent his youth at robben island; he is now an old man. There isn't much more you can ask of a man.

back2back:

what part exactly did he do?

was this a terrorist act or not?

why are today's 'freedom' fighters are called terrorists.

in understanding these, we can illuminate how they shape our lives.

How can you compare Mandela to present day terrorists? This Man mandela fought for his people's freedom, he did no go about bombing himself and others because he wanted freedom for his people. And you will agree with me that South Africa is a predominantly black counry, then why should the minorities (whites) run her affairs and in the most in-humane manner. You know the truth but just want to creat an agurement in here. As far as am concern, Mandela remains the greatest African ever (dead or alive). He would have chosen to make himself the life president of South Africa like other greedy African leaders who prefer to die as presidents but he never did that. is this not examplary enough?

You lack serious knowledge and Im not willing to argue with you, go look up info regarding Nelson Mandela.
As for terrorist, the apartheid government named him a terrorist because he was rebelling against the current regime and once more show you are highly ignorant, the bombings in SA occured in the 1980's when he was still in prison(Robben Island). The idea of placing him in an island is for him not to have any communication with world thus he had absolute no authority regarding the people that bombed that area. Further more isnt it enough for a person to spend 67 years of his life fighting for human rights.

And so for the bombings, study South African history before you make an argument.

@poster
The internet should have a lot of answers for you but JUST IN CASE you cant read, i suggest you board the next available flight to South Africa.
when you get there, ask them this question and tell them your view on Mandela.
i wont be suprised if you return in a coffin

i suggest you board the next available flight to South Africa.
when you get there, ask them this question and tell them your view on Mandela.
i wont be suprised if you return in a coffin

Another ignorant statement, there is alot of south africans that questions his credibility especially the poor black community(the most violent) you would find they would agree with the posters thoughts because they are just as ignorant.

yoruba:

Another ignorant statement, there is alot of south africans that questions his credibility especially the poor black community(the most violent) you would find they would agree with the posters thoughts because they are just as ignorant.

And you'd know that,because

, Im in SOUTH AFRICA, living with SOUTH AFRICANS,

@ yoruba
So which side are you in this discuss?

@yoruba
whats your opinion?

First I would to say that I was born in Nigeria who is living South Africa (for the past 6 years) and fortunate to experience the good side of South Africans. But with South Africa now is facing 'economic apartheid' and there is such a vast difference with regards to class regardless black or white. The poor community feels neglected in the new South Africa and while the black middle class reaping good benefits thus creates a very hostile situation(i.e crime). Other countries facing huge class difference are mexico, brazil and columbia and just like SA crime is a major problem.

As for Mandela though he has done his part and he is, sorry was a good leader and South Africa now needs to break away from there economic apartheid, I think that should solve South Africa's problems.

@ yoruba

You have not really responded to my question. Wich side do you belong to?

I believe that Mandela has done alot for africa and is a symbol for peace, does that answer your question?

yoruba:

I believe that Mandela has done alot for africa and is a symbol for peace, does that answer your question?

Yes,thank you! Any body still doubt this? This reponse is coming from some one livin in south Africa

Guys, I like to know concrete things he did for Africa not south Africa.

Mandela remains the greatest African ever (dead or alive). He would have chosen to make himself the life president of South Africa like other greedy African leaders who prefer to die as presidents but he never did that. is this not examplary enough?

if this makes him greatest African ever then Obasanjo is twice greater. He handed over to civilian Govt twice!


Disclaimer:
I know Mandela is a great man.

@ landis

The last time I checked, south Africa was still in Africa. Have they changed it? If they have then I get your point but if they have not then, name one African leader that has done up to half of what mandela did for south Africa in their country. Thank you.

It is important that we recognise how far Mandela went in his fight for his beliefs - the real man behind the Wetern guilt gloss. His conviction was so strong that he was willing to die. There is a misconception that he didn't take part in any violence, but that is false. He fought the right fight, laying his life down for the freedom of his people. After struggling peacefully for years with no fruit, in 1961, Mandela co-founded the armed wing of the ANC, Umkhonto we Sizwe. The strength and leadership of Mandela comes from his application of the right tools for the struggle at the right times, like all great men; his deep convictions and steadfastness without hatred. Below are extracts from a wikipedia article on Mandela.

In 1961, Mandela became leader of the ANC's armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (translated Spear of the Nation, and also abbreviated MK), which he co-founded.[30] He coordinated sabotage campaigns against military and government targets, making plans for a possible guerrilla war if the sabotage failed to end apartheid.[31] Mandela also raised funds for MK abroad and arranged for paramilitary training of the group.[31]

Fellow ANC member Wolfie Kadesh explains the bombing campaign led by Mandela: "When we knew that we [sic] going to start on 16 December 1961, to blast the symbolic places of apartheid, like pass offices, native magistrates courts, and things like that ,  post offices and ,  the government offices. But we were to do it in such a way that nobody would be hurt, nobody would get killed."[32] Mandela said of Wolfie: "His knowledge of warfare and his first hand battle experience were extremely helpful to me."[9]

Mandela described the move to armed struggle as a last resort; years of increasing repression and violence from the state convinced him that many years of non-violent protest against apartheid had not and could not achieve any progress.[9][33]

Later, mostly in the 1980s, MK waged a guerrilla war against the apartheid regime in which many civilians became casualties.[31] Mandela later admitted that the ANC, in its struggle against apartheid, also violated human rights, sharply criticising those in his own party who attempted to remove statements supporting this fact from the reports of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.[34]

Up until July 2008, Mandela and ANC party members were barred from entering the United States — except the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan — without a special waiver from the US Secretary of State, because of their South African apartheid regime era designation as terrorists.[35][36]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela

Mandela fight for South Africa Peoples Not for Africa. That is all I study about Mandela

@Beaf
He was definitely the founder of the military wing, but the man who orchestrated the bombings is called CHRIS HANI(look him up)

Later, mostly in the 1980s, MK waged a guerrilla war against the apartheid regime in which many civilians became casualties.[31] Mandela later admitted that the ANC, in its struggle against apartheid, also violated human rights, sharply criticising those in his own party who attempted to remove statements supporting this fact from the reports of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

As I said, Mandela at that time was in robben island were he had no direct influence in those bombings.

After imprisonment(1990), South Africa looked likely to be in a civil war but he orchestrated peaceful negotiations with the Apartheid Government which led to be the worlds biggest political breakthrough in modern day politics.

Besides is there anything terrorist in spending 67 years fighting for human rights?

Do we allow WEST define for us an African hero or do we define for ourself who is an African hero?

the real man behind the Wetern guilt gloss

There is no west or western gloss regarding Mandela's story, his story is a just person fighting for human rights for his people and just so happened to be african. This thread is like asking what Ghandi has done for Indians, or what Martin Luther King has done for African Americans because all of them has fought for human rights for there people but yet somewhere along the line you guys are seeking for a demon in peace and human rights.

There is no west or western gloss regarding Mandela's story, his story is a just person fighting for human rights for his people and just so happened to be african. This thread is like asking what Ghandi has done for Indians, or what Martin Luther King has done for African Americans because all of them has fought for human rights for there people but yet somewhere along the line you guys are seeking for a demon in peace and human rights.

thanks. from above we can say below are also african heros:

1. Ken Saro Wiwa

2. General Ojukwu(Biafra)

3. Henry Okha(MEND)

Oh by the way, I guess you guys never heard of the AWB(Military Wing for the Boer Afrikaner), white supremacist who killed and bombed alot of black people. The leader Eugene Terblanche planned alot attacks in black townships but was never named as a terrorists was he?

back2back:

thanks. from above we can say below are also african heros:

1. Ken Saro Wiwa

2. General Ojukwu(Biafra)

3.  Henry Okha(MEND)

He became a hero because:

After imprisonment(1990), South Africa looked likely to be in a civil war but he orchestrated peaceful negotiations with the Apartheid Government which led to be the worlds biggest political breakthrough in modern day politics

yoruba:

@Beaf
He was definitely the founder of the military wing, but the man who orchestrated the bombings is called CHRIS HANI(look him up)
As I said, Mandela at that time was in robben island were he had no direct influence in those bombings.

After imprisonment(1990), South Africa looked likely to be in a civil war but he orchestrated peaceful negotiations with the Apartheid Government which led to be the worlds biggest political breakthrough in modern day politics.

Besides is there anything terrorist in spending 67 years fighting for human rights?

Hear it from the ANC themselves http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/history/mk/mk-history.html (definitive eh? )

Search Google or Bing for these quotations (word for word)

Fellow ANC member Wolfie Kadesh explains the bombing campaign led by Mandela:

"When we knew that we [sic] going to start on 16 December 1961, to blast the symbolic places of apartheid, like pass offices, native magistrates courts, and things like that ,  post offices and ,  the government offices. But we were to do it in such a way that nobody would be hurt, nobody would get killed."

Mandela said of Wolfie

"His knowledge of warfare and his first hand battle experience were extremely helpful to me."

@back2back You hear it from the horses mouth above.

When people/celebrities are asked who's the greatest person you've ever met or want to meet,90% say Mr Mandela.He's done all he could,how come we have so few heroes after him? Same way we've had few genuine freedom fighters after Gani Fawehinmi.

hadji wese:

When people/celebrities are asked who's the greatest person you've ever met or want to meet,90% say Mr Mandela.He's done all he could,how come we have so few heroes after him? Same way we've had few genuine freedom fighters after Gani Fawehinmi.

Very sadly, few people make it into the pantheon of greatness before they die. Mandela is the only one so far in our lifetime.
That level of greatness will always be a rarity.

Mandela has done his part.
He fought for his own fight to liberate the black in South Africa.
Black man has chance to rule and all that, but here is my question, is the rule of black man helpful?

Do we allow WEST define for us an African hero or do we define for ourself who is an African hero?

same thing.


when whitey says jump you only ask how high.

That said, I dont worry myself too much about Mandela. Let him keep doing his stuff, imo.