R.I.P. Nelson Mandela

This topic was created in the Miscellaneous forum by CancerOnTheCusp on Thursday, December 5, 2013 and has 15 replies.

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Posted by Boomer
As a South African, you cannot imagine the loss.

I remember seeing 'Whites Only / Net Blankes' signs growing up. I remember not being allowed in areas. I remember not being allowed to swim in certain pools. I remember my small town's post office had two entrances for 'Whites' and 'Non Whites'. I remember my town having two libraries and so on and so on. I remember the horrific racism I experienced growing up as people refused to adapt to the New South Africa.

It is impossible for people to understand how much he meant to us and how grateful we are to him.

Indeed! Gosh, I remember teargas being thrown everywhere & as a 5 year old I knew exactly what to do to prevent it from burning my eyes...we all knew the drill. I also remember how we used to line-up rocks in my township waiting for the "Mellow-Yellow" & "Hippos" to make their raids of terror.

Those days are gone now & children can once again be children. They can enjoy their childhood without the fear some of us grew up with & thanks to people like Tata for the sacrifices they made to make South Africa the democratic place it is today. May his soul rest in peace, he really lived unlike some of us who live but leave not a single mark on this planet.

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@WaterCup
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LOL! I also remember how muscular everyone was those days. We were all really fit from doing "toyi-toyi". Everyone in my family called me "Mathebula" because I could toyi-toyi like a veteran & I knew all the songs of struggle lol. Those were the days! & a part of me is really grateful for experiencing the last few years of Apartheid, as horrific as it was. The things we saw require years in therapy that's for sure, but it still was a great lesson about the ugliness that lurks deep down in most humans. It just shows that people are capable of doing scary things given the right opportunity. But it also shows that people are able to turn the bad into good, like how Mr Mandela didn't seek vengeance after being elected the president of our beloved Republic. That is strength of character & something that most of us should try to find within ourselves. Forgiveness.