Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela 1918-2013

Iu Press Journals

Description

December 2014 marked a year since the passing of Nelson Mandela—a man who was as much myth as flesh and blood. Transition pays tribute to Mandela's worldly attainments and to his otherworldly sainthood. Featuring remembrances from Wole Soyinka, Xolela Mangcu, Pierre de Vos, and Adam Habib, this issue assembles Mandela's staunchest allies—for whom he approached saintliness—as well as his most entrenched critics. Other contributors consider the iconicity of Mandela—including his representations in films; the importance of boxing to his political career; his time studying with the revolutionary army in Algeria; his stance on children's rights; and even his ill-fated trip to Miami.  Whoever you think Mandela was—or wasn't—this issue is the new required reading.

Published three times per year by Indiana University Press for the Hutchins Center at Harvard University, Transition is a unique forum for the freshest, most compelling ideas from and about the black world. Since its founding in Uganda in 1961, the magazine has kept apace of the rapid transformation of the African Diaspora and has remained a leading forum of intellectual debate. Transition is edited by Alejandro de la Fuente.

1 "Of Flesh and Blood"
An introduction from Transition's new editor, Alejandro de la Fuente

3 The Dance is Not Over
Nobel Prize winner Wole Soyinka claims Mandela as a semi-divine avatar, but acknowledges the
attendant naïveté—particularly about the depths of human evil—that sometimes came with occupying such a lofty position

14 Saying Goodbye to a Global Icon
Adam Habib, Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Witwatersrand, suggests that the most respectful way to honor Mandela is to not lose sight of either his political shortcomings or the most difficult demands his humanitarian message makes of us

27 A Critic, in Retrospect
Though one of Mandela's staunchest critics, Xolela Mangcu is humble enough to admit being star struck by the great man, but still insists on the importance of infusing Mandela's anti-racial politics with a politics of racial justice and black power

40 Compassion and Corruption
Constitutional law expert and public scholar Pierre de Vos recalls how his life and the lives of countless Afrikaners were transformed by Mandela's forgiveness, yet wonders whether Mandela's compassion may have ultimately set the stage for a subversion of the rule of law

51 Discovering Mandela's Children
On a fellowship in South Africa with her family in tow, Warren Binford examines post-colonial Africa's pursuit of stringent laws protecting the rights of children, while reflecting upon the ideal of unity amidst enduring post-apartheid inequities

67 "The Algerian Army Made Me a Man"
Abdeldjalil Larbi Youcef reveals startling facts about a little-known period of Mandela's life, when he was on the lam in northern Africa and received a short, yet formative, introduction to armed resistance from the Algerian revolutionary forces

80 Some Monday for Sure Fiction
We pay homage to Nobel Prize laureate, ANC activist—and Mandela's friend—Nadine Gordimer (1923–2014) with this story that she first published in 1965 in the pages of Transition 18

98 A Snub for the Ages
Immediately following his release from prison, at a time when most of the world was celebrating Mandela, Marvin Dunn tells of how the leader was rebuffed by the city of Miami, where conservative Cubans and Jews took the opportunity to air their political grievances

106 Robben Island University
Mandela was "the world's most famous (former) prisoner," and Aaron Bady explores how prison served as a necessary prerequisite for political leadership in much of post-colonial Africa, then asks us to consider in what ways Mandela may still be imprisoned

120 To Think as a Boxer
Offering multiple ways of viewing a famous sculpture depicting a boxing Mandela, Kurt Campbell explores not only what it means to imagine Mandela as a boxer, but also reveals how a youth spent boxing might have shaped Mandela's activism and political vision

128 Fists Poetry
by Paul Theroux

130 Nelson Mandela's Two Bodies
Addressing the ubiquity of images of Nelson Mandela, art historian Steven Nelson suggests that these pictures allow the viewer to enter into a space of hope and reconciliation for which Mandela has come to stand, even as they risk obscuring our view of the real Mandela

143 The Watchmen
South African artist Jane Alexander's uncanny, life-sized sculptures—despite their seeming inscrutability—have been embraced as some of the most significant and evocative anti-apartheid art;
Transition presents a photo essay of Alexander's iconic works, with an introduction by Rebecca VanDiver

148 History, Iconicity, and Love
Meghan Healy-Clancy shares an historian's review of two recent Mandela-themed films, Mandela:
Long Walk to Freedom and Winnie Mandela, in which she critiques their simplified representations of the anti-apartheid struggle and, particularly, their inept handling of the roles women played in those efforts

167 Mourning Mandela
With camera in hand, Christopher J. Lee took to the streets following the death of Mandela to experience and document the ways that South Africans were memorializing the passing of their hero away from the limelight of the official state-sanctioned, celebrity-infused funeral

172 In the Village
Returning to his natal village in the same region that Mandela called home, Hugo Canham talks with elderly residents to get their take on Mandela's legacy and to ascertain whether they see themselves as participating in his politics of hope

Sujets

• HISTORY
• POLITICAL SCIENCE
• Histoire
• África
• General officer
• South
• Peace
• History of Africa
• General
• Africa
• Paix

Informations

• Publié par: Indiana University Press
• Date de parution: 02 février 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 24
• EAN13: 9780253018540
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

TRANSITION
Transition was founded in 1961 in Uganda by the late Rajat Neogy and quickly established itself as a leading forum for intellectual debate. The first series of issues developed a reputation for tough-minded, far-reaching criticism, both cultural and political, and this series carries on the tradition .
Transition 116
AN INTERNATIONAL REVIEW
Editor
Alejandro de la Fuente
Visual Arts Editor
Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw
Managing Editor
Sara Bruya
Editorial Assistant
Adam McGee
Visual Arts Assistant
Amanda Lanham
Student Associate Editors
Laura Correa Ochoa
Amanda Fish
Mariam Goshadze
Publishers
Kwame Anthony Appiah
Henry Louis Gates, Jr .
Former Editors
Rajat Neogy, Founding Editor
Wole Soyinka
Henry Finder
Michael C. Vazquez
F. Abiola Irele
Laurie Calhoun
Tommie Shelby
Vincent Brown
Glenda Carpio
Editorial Board
Wole Soyinka, Chairman
George Reid Andrews
David Chariandy
Teju Cole
Laurent Dubois
Brent Hayes Edwards
Sujatha Fernandes
Tope Folarin
Kaiama L. Glover
Kellie Carter Jackson
Biodun Jeyifo
Carla D. Martin
Barbaro Martinez-Ruiz
Achille Mbembe
Siddhartha Mitter
Laurence Ralph
Antonio Tillis
CONTENTS
Of Flesh and Blood
An introduction from Transition s new editor , Alejandro de la Fuente
The Dance is Not Over
Nobel Prize winner Wole Soyinka claims Mandela as a semi-divine avatar, but acknowledges the attendant na vet -particularly about the depths of human evil-that sometimes came with occupying such a lofty position
Saying Goodbye to a Global Icon
Adam Habib , Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Witwatersrand, suggests that the most respectful way to honor Mandela is to not lose sight of either his political shortcomings or the most difficult demands his humanitarian message makes of us
A Critic, in Retrospect
Though one of Mandela s staunchest critics , Xolela Mangcu is humble enough to admit being star struck by the great man, but still insists on the importance of infusing Mandela s anti-racial politics with a politics of racial justice and black power
Compassion and Corruption
Constitutional law expert and public scholar Pierre de Vos recalls how his life and the lives of countless Afrikaners were transformed by Mandela s forgiveness, yet wonders whether Mandela s compassion may have ultimately set the stage for a subversion of the rule of law
Discovering Mandela s Children
On a fellowship in South Africa with her family in tow , Warren Binford examines post-colonial Africa s pursuit of stringent laws protecting the rights of children, while reflecting upon the ideal of unity amidst enduring post-apartheid inequities
The Algerian Army Made Me a Man
Abdeldjalil Larbi Youcef reveals startling facts about a little-known period of Mandela s life, when he was on the lam in northern Africa and received a short, yet formative, introduction to armed resistance from the Algerian revolutionary forces
Some Monday for Sure Fiction
We pay homage to Nobel Prize laureate, ANC activist-and Mandela s friend- Nadine Gordimer (1923-2014) with this story that she first published in 1965 in the pages of Transition 18
A Snub for the Ages
Immediately following his release from prison, at a time when most of the world was celebrating Mandela , Marvin Dunn tells of how the leader was rebuffed by the city of Miami, where conservative Cubans and Jews took the opportunity to air their political grievances
Robben Island University
Mandela was the world s most famous (former) prisoner, and Aaron Bady explores how prison served as a necessary prerequisite for political leadership in much of post-colonial Africa, then asks us to consider in what ways Mandela may still be imprisoned
To Think as a Boxer
Offering multiple ways of viewing a famous sculpture depicting a boxing Mandela , Kurt Campbell explores not only what it means to imagine Mandela as a boxer, but also reveals how a youth spent boxing might have shaped Mandela s activism and political vision
Fists Poetry
by Paul Theroux
Nelson Mandela s Two Bodies
Addressing the ubiquity of images of Nelson Mandela, art historian Steven Nelson suggests that these pictures allow the viewer to enter into a space of hope and reconciliation for which Mandela has come to stand, even as they risk obscuring our view of the real Mandela
The Watchmen
South African artist Jane Alexander s uncanny, life-sized sculptures-despite their seeming inscrutability-have been embraced as some of the most significant and evocative anti-apartheid art; Transition presents a photo essay of Alexander s iconic works, with an introduction by Rebecca VanDiver
History, Iconicity, and Love
Meghan Healy-Clancy shares an historian s review of two recent Mandela-themed films , Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom and Winnie Mandela, in which she critiques their simplified representations of the anti-apartheid struggle and, particularly, their inept handling of the roles women played in those efforts
Mourning Mandela
With camera in hand , Christopher J. Lee took to the streets following the death of Mandela to experience and document the ways that South Africans were memorializing the passing of their hero away from the limelight of the official state-sanctioned, celebrity-infused funeral
In the Village
Returning to his natal village in the same region that Mandela called home , Hugo Canham talks with elderly residents to get their take on Mandela s legacy and to ascertain whether they see themselves as participating in his politics of hope
Cover: Street art near Plaza Cabestreros, Madrid, Spain (detail). June 3, 2012. The square has recently been renamed Nelson Mandela Square. Photo by r2hox. 2012 r2hox
IN MEMORIAM
F EW T RANSITION WRITERS could be said to have been more fearless, fiery, or intellectually curious than Ali Mazrui (1933-2014). A political theorist by training, Mazrui was one of Transition s most frequent contributors and one of the magazine s earliest associate editors. His contributions were always guaranteed to spark controversy. Most notably, his essay Nkrumah: The Leninist Czar, published in Transition 26 just months after Nkrumah was forced into exile, reads as a forensic report of failed leadership. It was hotly debated by political and literary luminaries in the pages of numerous Transition issues, in the days when Rajat Neogy delighted in publishing rowdy, no-holds-barred letters from readers. However, Mazrui s interest could hardly be contained by politics alone, and he wrote on topics as diverse as heart transplants, the religious dimensions of suicide, and (in one of the most vivid personal battles to ever play out in the pages of Transition ) why Wole Soyinka was wrong about nearly everything. In more recent years, in the wake of 9/11, Mazrui had risen to even greater prominence as a public intellectual who spoke eloquently in defense of Islam, against the absolutist claims of radicals on all sides. As Africa mourns the passing of a famous son, the world mourns the loss of a brave and creative mind. Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji un!
-The Editors

Nelson Mandela . . . The True Electric State (detail) . Acrylic on canvas. 4.2 4.2 meters. 2013 Paul Blomkamp
Of Flesh and Blood
Alejandro de la Fuente
I AGREE, WE are not ready to let Mandela go. Not now. Not yet. Not after Michael Brown, the teenager from Ferguson, Missouri. Not after Trayvon Martin, the teenager from Miami Gardens, Florida. Not after Eric Garner, the cigarettes guy, of Staten Island, New York. There are many more.
We desperately need that which Mandela was uniquely capable of giving: hope. Many writers here agree-even when they agree on little else-that Mandela s most important legacy was his ability to reach out across boundaries of race, culture, and class, to fabricate unusual moments of shared humanity, even in the most unlikely circumstances. Such humanity was not sustained in perfection (although it is tempting to flatten him into something devoid of life and sweat), but in the conviction that it is only through the lives, needs, and dreams of others that a person can fully be. As a dear friend of his once put it, his was a way of living for the freedom of others.
That dear friend needs no introduction. Not here, not in Transition , a magazine that published her work as early as 1965. As we prepared this special issue to honor Mandela, as we paused to reflect on his accomplishments and legacies, we learned of the death of Nadine Gordimer. The winner of the 1991 Nobel Prize in Literature, Gordimer s writing captured the anxieties, conflicts, and horrors of South African society under apartheid. Even if it wasn t apartheid that made her a writer, as she once said, it is difficult to imagine her writings without apartheid. Several of her books were banned by the South African regime, which knew of her contacts with Mandela, whom she had met in 1964 during the Rivonia Trial. That s the trial that sentenced him to life imprisonment, the trial that condemned him to immortality. To have lived one s life at the same time, and in the same natal country, as Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was a guidance and a privilege we South Africans shared. I also knew the privilege of becoming one of his friends, Gordimer wrote after Mandela s death. Mandela: not a figure carved in stone but a tall man, of flesh and blood, whose suffering had made him not vengeful but still more human-even toward the people who had