So You Think You Can Meke? (Theatre One) Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born 18 July 1918 in Transkei, on the eastern tip of the then Union of South Africa. He was a gifted, easy-going teenager at the University of Fort Hare in South Africa's Eastern Cape, where he earned a BA degree in 1943 and his BA Honours in 1946. In 1948 he gained a law degree at the University of the Witwatersrand. In the mid-1940s, he became active in the African National Congress (ANC) and was repeatedly arrested for illegal political activity, leading him to serve a five-year prison sentence on the notorious Robben Island off Cape Town. During this time, he developed his signature combination of patience and persistence. After his release, he continued his legal studies, passing his bar exams in 1952. Mandela was elected deputy president of the ANC in 1959 and president in 1961, serving in that capacity for the remainder of the 1960s. In February 1990, he was elected President of the newly independent Republic of South Africa. Mandela led the ANC's policy of a conciliatory approach, and he and F. W. de Klerk developed a new South Africa that avoided civil war. He was elected president of a newly democratic South Africa in 1994, winning nearly 80% of the vote. "It's important for us to live in freedom, so that when our own children grow up and see how it is only to live in freedom that one can make proper decisions about one's life, and can be happy, we'll be able to say to them that that was the country to which we were destined." We are on the brink of a revolution, and it is a revolution of the ideas. All power is corrupting. That is why we reject authority. You must always question authority, whoever it is. It’s good to question authority, because you don’t know until you question, and then when you question you discover whether or not there is reason in it. And when there is reason in it, that is good, and then you act. But if you have the courage and the confidence to question authority, you’ll discover that the quality of freedom and the power to change things that is within you will be enormous. So we stand together and we face a grave, awesome task which we must not flinch from. We refuse to accept that the freedom we had, and won and cherish is only for some people. We are unwilling to accept that this democracy of ours was carved out only for the white minority. We are for everybody. We are one. So we must remain firm and of good courage. We intend to enter this campaign against poverty, and to seek victory in a very deliberate and orderly fashion by saying we shall build a mass movement to defeat the National Party government which has brought about this terrible disaster. Never for a moment are we going to be intimidated. So we shall embark upon a deliberate and orderly campaign to create in this country a constitutional democracy. I am convinced it is our solemn duty to restore the rule of law in this country, the dignity and pride of citizenship and to restore the country to its destiny. How can we accept the gross violation of our people’s human rights without accepting the risk that it might recur? The only way in which we can make the situation better is to be more concerned about human rights and civil liberties. Our concern and action must have a bearing on the situation of the country generally, not be confined to what may be in the press or at one particular place. We must recognise the need for a democratic, constitutional state in which the rights and interests of all will be cherished and protected. To achieve this, we have to exercise the power of choosing wisely. We want to encourage a diversity of viewpoints in our public life and to strengthen the institutions of our democracy. We must not allow an undemocratic act, such as the removal from office, to destroy the democratic institutions and processes we have built and cherish. How would you feel if this happened to you? We must act for ourselves, not wait for the world to change. I would feel that I was part of a collective movement of our people, of all races, not any political party. If I wanted to join it, I would feel very honoured because there is nothing more valuable than to join the struggle of our people. We are not afraid to die. We are afraid of a life without dignity and freedom. "I was born in an African tribe. I became a revolutionary. I turned African and became a communist. I was then put in jail, so I was put in jail and became a Marxist and finally I became an African, a Black and I remained a revolutionary." We do not want to establish any form of government in this country which does not give full and true recognition to the rights of all South Africans, and all the people of our country, without any exception. We want this country to be known as a new democratic state in which all will be protected, but where there is law and order and there will be no favouritism or bias. We are seeking a constitutional state where human rights and civil liberties will be upheld and respected, and where there will be equal opportunities for all people to live in dignity and freedom. We say to those who would deny such freedom that we will keep the flag flying. What is the greatest threat to democracy? It is when the people with their consent have voted to take away democracy from the people. One of the greatest threats to democracy is when there is a government that thinks it can govern the people without consulting the people. We say to the government of this country that when you make decisions, please ensure that you make them in consultation with those who elected you to serve this country. The ANC has fought for freedom, and yet I hear so many people say that we want to replace apartheid. How can they say such a thing? The people who had not even made their freedom when we started this movement, in a matter of years have also become free. In fact, freedom is now ours. If you mean it would be good for the majority to be in power, let them be in power. What is Freedom? If you are talking of freedom, it is not just a political issue. Freedom is a way of life. It is not just an ideal to which we must reach. It is an experience that shapes every facet of our lives. There are some who say that we cannot hold elections in South Africa because our people cannot vote in a free and fair election. But we are fighting for the right to vote freely in elections for our representative government. When we say that we want freedom, we are not talking about some freedom that is so far removed from our experiences. You know what I mean, and you must make your decisions from that. Freedom is never given, it must be fought for. It is the policy of the leadership of the ANC that women shall have an equal place in the affairs of the ANC as men. But we will also be firm in saying that there must be no discrimination against women, because we want women to be able to fulfil their full roles in life and play a major part in the struggle for peace and freedom. Why does your movement insist on all-races conferences rather than ethnic conferences? We are not interested in divisions based on race or colour, only the divisions based on differences which are fundamental. This, we say, has got to be broken down. It is an area of fundamental conflict, for we come from many parts of the world. We have to share this country. The truth is that the differences are so profound in our societies, in our customs, in our history and so on, that this is our chief difficulty. We cannot create a community of South Africans of many different ethnic origins and backgrounds by the way we are treated. It is in this area that we have to find ways of working together in communities, because this is a South Africa of people of diverse races and backgrounds, cultures and languages. This must not be destroyed by a situation which forces people to live in isolated, ghetto areas or regions and to treat people differently. This then fosters segregation which destroys the possibility of the building of a free and democratic South Africa. We have to find ways of living together in harmony. We cannot build our society on the basis of any group having power and deciding who shall have the power. In the past, in this country, we have tried to use political organisations to give ethnic groups economic or social power. We have fought so hard for our freedom and yet those whose forefathers have contributed to the making of this country are still exploited. We cannot work in such a society in which the majority have a small voice in a democracy. We cannot say that because we