And the world is mourning his loss even though most people truly know next to nothing about the man.
They only know the "legend".
Really the mourning is due to Mandela the symbol of fighting Apartheid than that of Mandela the South African President because quite frankly on that ground, there'd be really nothing to celebrate.
Since Mandela took over as President, the South African economy and nation has collapsed upon itself. S.A. is among the poorest in the world, even with the $4 billion in annual aid the US gives to them.
The average salary in S.A based on US dollars is $8,600 which ranks it 83rd in the world and according to the CIA World Factbook, near a quarter of the population is unemployed
Also, according to the 2011 UNAIDS Report, South Africa has an estimated 5.6 million people living with HIV – more than any other country in the world.
So obviously the fond memories have to be more to the symbol of the man than the man himself.
We wanted to take a few moments to present an accurate picture of Mandela and his ideologies/beliefs by presenting quotes by him expressing his thoughts on this or that..
Really doesn't matter to us either way if we sway you to look at Mandela differently or not.. At least you will see more than a caricature.
We too want to control our destiny... There can be no surrender. It is a case of freedom or death. The Cuban revolution has been a source of inspiration to all freedom-loving people."
-- Spoken in 1991 in Cuba to honor Castro
* "There's one thing where that country stands out head and shoulders above the rest. That is in its love for human rights and liberty."
-- Spoken in reference to Cuba by Mandela in the US in 1990
* "The Soviet Union is the torch-bearer for all our hopes and aspirations. We have learned and are continuing to learn resilience and bravery from the Soviet people, who are an example to us in our struggle for freedom, a model of loyalty to internationalist duty.
In Soviet Russia, genuine power of the people has been transformed from dreams into reality. The land of the Soviets is the genuine friend and ally of all peoples fighting against the dark forces of world reaction."
Spoken by Mandela's wife Winnie and reported in Pravda in 1986
* "If there is a country that has committed unspeakable atrocities in the world, it is the United States of America.."
Spoken by Mandela in February 2003
* "The people of Asia and Africa have seen through the slanderous campaign conducted by the U.S.A. against the Socialist countries. They know that their independence is threatened not by any of the countries in the Socialist camp but by the U.S.A., who has surrounded their continent with military bases. The Communist bogey is an American stunt to distract the attention of the people of Africa from the real issue facing them, namely, American imperialism"
From Mandela's book "The Struggle is my Life" - 1958
* "We support the cause of anyone who is fighting for self-determination, and our attitude is the same, no matter who it is. I would be honored to sit on the platform with the four comrades you refer to."
Spoken during a Harlem visit in 1954 referring to four Puerto Rican terrorists who shot and wounded five US Congressmen
Portion of an Introduction written by Mandela called 'How To Be A Good Communist'
Here's a few other 'gems'..
* "The values and high virtues that Arafat embodied during his struggle for the Palestinian cause will inspire the Palestinian people so that they preserve their cohesion and unity and pursue their path to win back their national, legitimate and eternal rights. "
Two quotes on Arafat, one upon meeting him and one after his death
* "Israel has deprived millions of Palestinians of their liberty and property. It has perpetuated a system of gross racial discrimination and inequality. It has systematically incarcerated and tortured thousands of Palestinians, contrary to the rules of international law. It has, in particular, waged a war against a civilian population, in particular children."
From a letter to NY Times writer Thomas Friedman, March 2001
From zimdiaspora.com article written in late 2011:
"A grandson of Nelson Mandela is named Gaddafi - a sign of how popular the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi once was in South Africa and many other African countries.
With his image of a revolutionary, Col Gaddafi inspired South Africans to fight for their liberation, funding and arming the anti-apartheid movement as it fought white minority rule...
After Mr Mandela became South Africa's first black president in 1994, he rejected pressure from Western leaders - including then-US President Bill Clinton - to sever ties with Col Gaddafi, who bankrolled his election campaign.
It led to Col Gaddafi handing over Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi for trial in Scotland. He was convicted in 2001, before being released eight years later on compassionate grounds - a decision Mr Mandela welcomed.
Mr Mandela saw the Lockerbie deal as one of his biggest foreign policy achievements.
"No-one can deny that the friendship and trust between South Africa and Libya played a significant part in arriving at this solution..."
So admire and mourn Mandela if you wish..
After all we know of him, we at A&G will not.
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