In Celebration of Nelson Mandela on Mandela Day

Learning from Nelson Mandela

Hope is the parent of change, and greatness can only occur when that which we believe to be impossible is challenged. Nelson Mandela and those who fought injustice in South Africa lived Abraham Lincoln’s words: “The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be great.”

Sentenced to life in prison for daring to challenge racism, Nelson Mandela spent almost three decades in jail and emerged still preaching non-racism and non-sexism.

Mandela was not a great orator; he, like Mohandas Gandhi, led by practice. They understood that fine words mean nothing if the person who speaks them does not live them. It’s a truth that evades today’s sound-bite politicians. Mandela showed that tolerance and respect to all, especially your enemies, is imperative.

As the 21st century faces a crisis in leadership, one where politicians are concerned more with pleasing financial backers than the citizenry they are meant to serve, re-examining the life of Nelson Mandela, his successes and shortfalls, becomes important. He was a rare politician who was prepared to sacrifice comfort, status and even life in pursuit of a cause he believed to be great. His sacrifices changed the lives of millions, he showed the way, today’s failures are ours.

(excerpt from Mandela: In Celebration of a Great Life by Charlene Smith, Random House Struik, June 2012)

WRITING PRESUMES AN AUDIENCE...

A referee once wrote, “Charlene Smith is a powerful, highly skilled and experienced journalist, author and communications professional. She is adept at finding the right channels for messages. She has immense patience and love for people – no-one is unimportant or undeserving of her time or mentoring.”

As a journalist, an authorized biographer of Nelson Mandela, as well as a speech writer and ghostwriter, I have been privileged to witness the best in the great and had the time to ponder their flaws. I believe that it is in addressing failure, that the exceptional emerges. 

Writing is a privileged profession: people allow us into their lives, they reveal their hearts bit-by-bit, they let us scratch through their records, go where they fear, and in the process, they too, rediscover themselves.

Current affairs writers are witnesses to history and so our responsibility to truth-telling and fairness is eternal.

Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, I covered anti-apartheid resistance in South Africa as a journalist before resigning to become an activist against apartheid. I also worked in Japan and Argentina. Publications I have worked for include the Los Angeles Times, Independent, Guardian, Washington Post, Le Monde, and others. As a television documentary maker I worked with Tony Burman at Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Ted Koppel at ABC Nightline, and Ed Bradley at CBS 60 Minutes, and others. That work taught me the importance of visual cues.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Delivery Time: Please allow a minimum of 10 working days for delivery!Reasonable T&Cs Apply – e.g. the goods need to be in original condition and be returned with the original packaging. See our full T&Cs

We are committed Hook, Line and Sinker to your Satisfaction!!