Listen to youth, says Nelson Mandela’s widow,
▶ Graca Machel tells Dubai summit of husband’s deep belief in children
To change the world, we must listen to young people, Graca Machel, the third wife of Nelson Mandela, told the World Government Summit in Dubai yesterday.
“To redesign the table of life, you must begin with changing the mindset of society and listen to young people,” she said.
All human beings are created equal, she said.
“There is no second class for human beings. We are all equal in the beat of life, in thinking and potential.”
Speaking at a forum called The Mandela I Knew, the former first lady of South Africa talked of her work as an international advocate for women’s and children’s rights, and offered a glimpse into the personal and public life of her late husband, who died of pneumonia in December 2013, aged 95.
She found it difficult to talk of Mandela as the revered public figure he became, saying he was a husband and father first and that he too saw children as the key to the future of a nation.
“There were many common causes between us, including a love of children and a firm belief they should occupy space in political and social agendas.
“He wanted to put children first in the nation, but there is no single legacy from his life,” she said.
“Nelson had this gift to humble himself and to touch different classes of people. He had this ability to connect with all people, from all backgrounds.
“He could see beyond the military and the politicians to resolve conflicts and disputes.”
When Mandela met his second wife, it was the coming together of two African figureheads. One a freedom fighter turned national leader, the other a teacher and a champion of women and children.
Their union in 1998, while Madiba – Mandela’s clan name – was South Africa’s first post-apartheid president and eight years after he was released from his 27-year incarceration for conspiring to overthrow the state, was more than a meeting of hearts and minds, it was a union of souls.
“We were blessed with the fact that when Nelson stepped down from the state he had time for his family and he could choose how he spent his time,” said Ms Machel, who is a former education minister from Mozambique and is visiting Dubai to promote the work of her trust.
Mandela was like any other loving father, husband and grandfather – and would often surprise his wife with gifts of chocolate or late-night phone calls to wish her a good night’s sleep if they were apart.
Ms Machel, 72, painted a vivid picture of their life together and the personal connection at the foundations of their partnership.
Eye contact was an important part of a first meeting with Mandela, she said, and he never took people for granted, treating cooks and servants with the same respect as the dignitaries he would meet on state visits.
“He gave a value to every gesture and recognised the dignity of every human being,” she said. “That respect stemmed from his incarceration. He tried to find the human side of his captors, the Afrikaners who he would see every day.”
The relative calm of Mandela’s presidency seems far removed from the political turmoil in South Africa today.
Mounting pressure on the 13th man to lead the African National Congress, Jacob Zuma, is expected to lead to his resignation, fuelled by claims of corruption as the ANC seeks to rebuild ahead of general elections next year.
One regret held by Mandela during his presidency was losing focus on the health crisis posed by HIV in the country.
The early years after his election as South Africa’s first black president in 1994 were dominated by nation building and developing a democratic state.
Ms Machel, whose trust aims to set the agenda for women in Africa, said her husband admitted to being “not awake at the right time” and that not tackling the HIV epidemic in rural South Africa was a “missed opportunity”.
“When you love somebody, you respect their personality and character,” she said.
“You cherish their qualities and build that connection. You love who they are and there is an alignment of heart, soul and understanding.
“Ours was a relationship of equals, and we were comfortable with who we were.”
He wanted to put children first in the nation GRACA MACHEL Third wife of Nelson Mandela