African History Blogs

Nelson Mandela and Family

I have listed some of my African history blog posts below.

See also:  Black History Blogs.    

Please note, I DO NOT distinguish between Black history and African history, but I have listed them separately because I know that this distinction matters to some people.

When we learn about what has happened, what has been done to people, on the African Continent and in the Diaspora, it is clear that it is all the same story. We are one people. 

Benin bronze

Please share these with your networks, and particularly with parents, children and young people, and teachers and schools.  Please leave your comments on the individual posts. 

And remember, EVERY MONTH IS BLACK HISTORY MONTH/AFRICAN HERITAGE MONTH.   

African History: Invasion 1897 - this links to some of my other African history blogs 
including blogs about Kenya, Namibia and the Congo..

Break the Silence Congo Week

Black People in the First World War

Mugabe: Villlain or Hero? 

Remembering Sharpeville and Sophiatown

The Sowetan:  Jumping the Border for Water

Sweet Crude - The Niger Delta

Film Review: Long Walk to Freedom

A Light Has Gone Out

World War One:  The Crucial Battle for Togo 


See also:   Black History Blogs. 

Please share these with your networks and please leave your comments on the individual posts.  Thanks.

Film Review: Long Walk to Freedom

Idris Elba as Mandela

I recently saw the film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, loosely based on Nelson Mandela's autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom.

Mandela was obviously a world-renowned figure, but there was a time when he was all but forgotten. In the wake of Mandela's recent passing, this film celebrates his life and his contribution to the anti-apartheid struggle.  

Long Walk to Freedom is a true African story of the heartbreak and devastation caused by the apartheid system, two people caught up in the fight against apartheid, and Mandela's long struggle which ended in triumph. 

A Light Has Gone Out

Nelson Mandela is dead. A light has gone out from the world. 

Mandela was imprisoned by the apartheid regime in South Africa for 27 years, because of his fight against apartheid. He became a symbol of hope and the fight for freedom for South African people and for people all over the world.

After his release from prison, Mandela became South Africa's first democratically-elected President. He accomplished the seemingly impossible – a bloodless revolution. Under Mandela, apartheid came to an end without the shedding of blood.

His wisdom has inspired millions of people. Mandela is now an ancestor. May he long continue to guide us.

Clickhere to read more about the life of Nelson Mandela.

Clickhere to read about the fight against apartheid.

The Effects on Our Families (2)

It is quite striking to note the amount of resources, in terms of time, money and energy,that the South African apartheid regime put into breaking up Black families. To read more about this, and about two films made in secret during apartheid, see: ANC Welcomes Ruling

Winnie Mandela’s story illustrates how apartheid impacted on women in South Africa.

To read more, see: Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

See also: The Effects on Our Families.

Happy Birthday Mandela

As Villager has said, yesterday was Nelson Mandela's birthday.

I can remember standing on the 24-hour nonstop picket line outside the South African Embassy in London's Trafalgar Square in the 1980s.

A friend of mine used to go come down every Friday evening, after a full work week, to stand on the picket line. I remember when she was arrested for obstruction one night. I went to court to support her and was pleased when the case was thrown out.

We made very small sacrifices. We boycotted certain fruits. Why did the ones from South Africa always appear to be the plumpest and freshest?

On our visits to the supermarket, we dug our fingernails into the avocados to stop anyone else from eating them.

Mandela sacrificed many years of his life, but somehow managed not only to keep his dignity, but to treat his enemies with respect, and win them over with his kindness and his wisdom.

I can remember the days when we thought the end of Apartheid would inevitably involve violence, destruction and bloodshed on a massive scale. Yet, miraculously, it came about peaceably. Mandela played a major role in the peace process.

To read more about this, see:

Long Walk to Freedom: Nelson Mandela's Autobiography
Endgame: The Beginning of the end of Apartheid.

I remember, too, that when he visited London after his release from prison, he challenged the police about their handling of the Stephen Lawrence enquiry. Up until then, the enquiry had not been prioritised or pursued seriously by the police. Mandela's involvement ensured that this issue was given the prominence it deserved.

This great African leader is an inspiration to people all over the world.

Happy birthday, Mandela!