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I wanted the Queen back, but now the King is gone!

Mandela

Picture from www.ezakwantu.com


Dear Madiba,
I wonder why I did not get into the social media excitement of mourning you! After a deep introspection at the wave and frenzy given to your demise globally, I asked myself why I felt less loyal to you all these years, and why I think people are giving you much more honor than I felt you alone deserve. With some reflection, I acknowledged that somewhere in my heart, the desire of that feminist child I was, still felt strong subconsciously.
Over the years, I wanted Queen Winnie back, but now you are gone. Madiba, I had fantasized through your time in jail that one day, the African King and Queen who fought for their people’s freedom will together be honored. I imagined you both standing tall, with clenched fists thrusted into the Zephyr and with a shout of Amandla, declare that Africa will live winnie-nelson-1happily ever after again. But as it was just my fantasy, it never became a reality. I felt your divorcing her shrouded her contribution to freedom fighting; it was like only in marriage to you, was she made relevant. I felt you helped abdicate her as Mother of Africa. Winnie was your fighter, for 27years, she kept you alive, by putting your story out there; she gave us the Madiba we now adore and she heard your last breath!
Yet this divorce masked everything. Unlike a man, a woman charged with corruption and violation of human right, and most of all Marital unfaithfulness to a husband absent for three decades should not be forgiven, protected, or honored with love. She must not be part of the pristine leadership circles that we have in Africa.
Decades after my heartbreak from this legendary separation, I realize that some of my sentiments perhaps were subjective coming from the heart of a then 12year old girl who understood less of the politics and fabric of marriage, leadership and the power relations therein. For this, I felt less loyal to you all these years.
Madiba, you were not my greatest Hero, but what I saw at your funeral quickened me; it made me think again. Now I realize that with the innocence of my childhood, I had judged you too hard. As you once said, it takes a sinner to be a saint. In retrospect, I acknowledge that what you represented was more than just a husband. I can confess that even though you may have failed as the idealist husband of my childhood to Africa’s Queen Winnie, you never failed us as a Father. In that role, you stood strong and tall like the African Iroko. Hence I will call you Tata!
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Tata, you embodied forgiveness. You may not have forgiven the woman that jailed your heart easily, but you sincerely forgave all those who tried to jail your body and your dream for Africa. In that, your spirit found the freedom to fly into many loving hearts in all nooks and cranny. Your forgiveness did not seek justice; it sought for peace and reconciliation. In our political landscape noted for war; a region where children received guns from Santa Claus and know the trigger as the only resolver of conflict, your acts of reconciliation remains an exemplar.
BRITAIN-SAFRICA-MANDELA 4Like the current president of my country, I remember you were sometime a shoe-less school boy, but unlike him, your leadership supported structures that will ensure that in the future, no child will be shoe-less or school-less. Poverty is not good,  in many ways, you reminded us that poverty is not a native of Africa, but a traveler. Sometime in the past, I remember you had said that “overcoming poverty is not a task of charity; it is an act of justice. Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man made and can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human being. Sometimes it falls on a generation to be great. You can be that generation let your greatness blossom”. To us young Africans living in a landscape marked by extreme poverty and conflict, your departure makes these words our duty call.
Pray for us Tata, pray that we learn that it has fallen on our generation to make Africa great again; that we understand that such greatness does not come with complacency, but as your life teaches us, we need a bit of anger. Pray that our eyes open to see that true men like you who fought for Africa are now but a dying breed.
Tata, you taught us that we must always do something about what we do not like, talking about it is never enough. Pray God to grant us the wisdom of knowing how to commit to a cause in the same way that men like you and women like Winnie staked their lives. May we learn that true change does not happen by tweeting, sharing pictures and articles on social media. Wearing ribbons or keeping memorabilia of support for social causes may only add entertainment value. May we learn that with a little more courage, we can still rise under our scotching sun.
Thank you for gracing our world with your presence Tata. I cannot deny you greatness, for according to Mencius, “the great man is he who does not lose his child’s heart”. In truth, you won our hearts. If truly the spirit of the dead watches over the living, I pray thee Tata to watch over Africa. Daughters and Sons of the Sun do not say goodbye, hence I will say Kachifo; until dawn comes, Rest well Tata! Africa misses you already…

Written by

Adaobi Nkeokelonye

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14 Comments

  1. Akobuijem

    You never fail me..
    Spicy..smoking with childhood fantasy and adult activism..ride on..

  2. Enjoyed reading this piece, funny enough as i write this, there is message on Madiba been run on the super sports channel i am watching….Lets not forget he was a man, and for the fact that all his human mistakes are not made public knowledge, he still made lots of them, but for me is an epitome of genuine forgiveness which our world of today need on so many levels, he was a symbol of sympathy and human feeling, for that i salute u Tata Madiba, but i still remind my self you are where just a man, who did great things, but still a man.

  3. Thank you for this wonderful post!

  4. Halima Sarki

    It is always a pleasure reading a piece from your blog. You capture my sentiment as a feminist but again just like you rightly said, he is only human and therefore can ere. But all the same, I will say he really did great to South African and in a larger scale, Africa too. We will miss him dearly.

  5. Well said Ada. I think it’s very easy to make a saint of men who have given so much of themselves; in this case, Madiba. It is very easy to forget that he was a man, and he had very many “human” moments and incidences. But invariably, he gave his life completely to the struggle without compromise. Very well written.

  6. Every body loves Madiba even in the Philippines! His legacy taught us a lot of things I just hope it won’t fade away that easily. We thanks God for sharing Madiba.

    • Good to have you back dear… I thought you had left wordpress for a long holiday in the Maldives. Hahaha! Yes,Madiba left a piece of his self in the hearts of all who knew him. Thanks for your comment and don’t be a stranger.

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