Jamaica hailed for role in anti-apartheid fight

[Sir X]

Jamaica hailed for role in anti-apartheid fight


BY KARYL WALKER Editor - Crime/Court Desk walkerk@jamaicaobserver.com

Friday, December 13, 2013

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JAMAICA'S pioneering role in the fight to dismantle the evil regime of apartheid was highlighted during a memorial service in tribute to Nelson Mandela at the University Chapel in Kingston, yesterday.

Jamaica was the first country in the western hemisphere and second in the world to India which officially banned trade and travel with the fascist apartheid Government which practised a brutal form of racism in South Africa.
South African High Commissioner to Jamaica Mathu Joyini addressing yesterday’s memorial service in tribute to Nelson Mandela at the University Chapel in Mona, St Andrew. (PHOTO: LIONEL ROOKWOOD)



South African High Commissioner to Jamaica Mathu Joyini addressing yesterday’s memorial service in tribute to Nelson Mandela at the University Chapel in Mona, St Andrew. (PHOTO: LIONEL ROOKWOOD)


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During the reading of the eulogy, South African High Commissioner to Jamaica Mathu Joyini conveyed a message of gratitude from the South African people to Jamaica.
"My Government has asked that I convey the gratitude to the Government and people of Jamaica for the support, solidarity and bond of friendship between the two countries. Jamaica played a significant role in the dismantling of apartheid, not only in South Africa but in the region. It is that solidarity which has carried South Africa through some difficult times," Joyini said.
In his historical overview, Professor Rupert Lewis said Jamaica's involvement in the fight against the racist regime begun decades before National Hero and former Premier Norman Manley officially banned trade and travel with South Africa in 1956 when Jamaica was still a colony of Britain.
Lewis said Jamaica's contribution began in 1901 when Pan-African committees were set up in various parishes by Robert Lowe and began to hit out against the trials of the South African people and educated Jamaicans about the Boer war.
National Hero Marcus Garvey, he said, was also active in the fight against apartheid in the 1920s. "Garvey hosted mass meetings in the United States. He was an inspiration to many South Africans," he said.
Lewis added that it was in the 1970s that the country's solidarity with the African National Congress took on steam due to the rise of Rastafari, the black power movement, while radical students bolstered by the activism of South African- born journalist Peter Abrahams also helped to shed light on the plight of the black South Africans.
Former Prime Ministers Hugh Shearer and Edward Seaga were also very vocal about the horrors of the system at the United Nations, Lewis said.
He also pointed to former Prime Minister Michael Manley, who was supported by the late Dudley Thompson, who drew the ire of then American Secretary of State Henry Kissinger for his refusal to condemn Angola's independence which was won in January 1975 when the Portuguese Government, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola, and the National Liberation Front of Angola signed the Alvor Agreement.
The rebels were assisted by Cuban troops, whose planes were allowed to refuel in Jamaica.
Jamaica was also instrumental in getting a sporting ban on South Africa.
"Jamaica has on all occasions expressed its opposition to apartheid," Lewis said.
In his tribute, former Prime Minister PJ Patterson hailed Mandela's indomitable courage, saying his memory will live throughout the ages.
"It was Nelson Mandela, from behind the prison bars, that solidified the struggle. We who were privileged to work with him at close range detected a disarming humility," he said, "There is still much work to be done not only in South Africa and all Africa but globally to achieve his goal."
The contribution of Jamaica's artistes, especially Peter Tosh and Bob Marley, in highlighting the evil system to the world could not be overshadowed and played an important role in dismantling apartheid which ended when Mandela was elected president in May 1994, said Patterson.





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[Sir X]

How much do we know about Mandela?


Barbara GLOUDON

Friday, December 13, 2013

AS the world mourns and, at the same time, celebrates the life and times of Nelson Mandela, we have to be aware that the many ceremonies of farewell which we are witnessing are the writing of another page in the history of the world.

So much has been said. Much more remains to be said. Whether we will fully understand it is another matter.
The full significance of Nelson Mandela’s contribution to the world might even now be evading us.



The full significance of Nelson Mandela’s contribution to the world might even now be evading us.


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Have we — the world's people — really learned anything from Nelson Mandela's life, despite our recitations of his philosophy? Funerals provide the greatest opportunity to tell of how great someone was. That the person cannot hear doesn't seem to matter. At least the living, who come to pay respects, have ears to hear.
Volumes of words of praise have been spoken and sung since last week when the world stopped in its tracks to listen to the breaking news that a truly great man had passed on to another sphere. We responded with shock despite our knowledge of his long struggle with illness in his latter years, ailments which could only be healed by the inevitable end. Now, we are talking and talking and talking to fill the silence of the reality.
Nelson Mandela was not the only black man to suffer because he had the audacity to hope for better. What set him apart — I think — is that he beat his persecutors by loving them into submission. He said it himself: "If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy, then he becomes your partner." He wasn't joking. That he and his fellow travellers on the road to hope could survive decades of intense cruelty and mean-spiritedness, is the lesson the world can learn as it celebrates the life of an unusual man.
Of all the many speeches from world leaders attending the four-hour-long "festival of words" in the Soweto Stadium a few days ago, the one which stood out for me was Barack Obama's "confession of faith". The man who was supposed to be the leader of the so-called Free World has become imprisoned in a gilded cage in a cruel game of politics. His "captors" have power and they're using it to chip away at the "audacity of hope", frustrating and thwarting their first black president at every turn.
His visit to South Africa, accompanied by past presidents Carter, Clinton, and the younger Bush, saw the return of the sparkle which endeared him to the world at the start of his tenure — a sparkle which has been dimmed somewhat. He spoke with passion and fire on the impact of a Nelson Mandela on a world sorely in need of compassion and he told of the inspiration Mandela gave to him as a young man. Not surprisingly, he drew the greatest applause. It is not too far-fetched to imagine a conversation between Mandela and Obama, debating one of the famous Mandela quotes: "In my country, we go to prison first and then become president." Little joke, big meaning.
We here in JA have some questions to ask ourselves, too, about what Nelson Mandela really means to us. Since we do not study world history as we should, our children and ourselves are greatly in need of enlightenment. The full significance of Mandela's contribution to the world might even now be evading us. How come so few of us know the story of a Norman Washington Manley who took the decision, as chief minister, some 50 years ago, to initiate a ban on goods imported here from South Africa? It was a statement of defiance, a rejection of Apartheid. We don't know because we don't tell.
We persist in telling a story that Jamaica was the first country which Mandela visited outside of South Africa after he gained freedom. Not true. He went to Cuba first to thank them for their support in the freedom fight. He then came here, not just because it was next door, but because he wanted to express gratitude also for Jamaica's courage, under the leadership of then Prime Minister Michael Manley, in the crucial years of the final push for freedom.
If the full history of that time in Jamaica's history is ever written, we may finally begin to understand the complexity of what we lived through and why we paid the price of alienation. Mandela's visit in 1991 brought out the darkness and the light in us. Crowd control issues at the National Stadium, as thousands tried to get a glimpse of "the man" himself, led unfortunately to one person losing his life. It could have been worse. Mercifully, it wasn't.
A should-be-told story is the role of Portia Simpson Miller, then minister of labour, welfare and social security, helping to calm the storm by plunging into the crowd, urging people to settle down. This is acknowledged by very few, today. Neither has been the contribution of Miss Olivia 'Babsy" Grange, who also joined in helping to bring calm. The action of these two women undoubtedly helped to save life and limb that day. Nelson Mandela wrote: "If there are dreams about a beautiful South Africa, there are also roads that lead to their goal. Two of these roads could be named Goodness and Forgiveness". I don't think he would have minded if we borrowed this dream for our battered Jamaica.
How then shall we remember Nelson Mandela? We have a Mandela Park and a Mandela Highway. We could take a look at how we treat what are meant to be symbols of respect. However, the outer edges of the park at Half-Way-Tree have become an altar to "chacka-chacka", overrun by hustling and capturing. As to the highway, it has become a showplace for reckless driving. Surely, Mandela deserves better than that. We might have to find better ways of showing our respect.
South Africans, as well as others from all across the African continent, place much emphasis on the tradition of respect for the elders. Today, I want to pay homage to a noted South African elder in the form of Mr Peter Abrahams, distinguished author, journalist and broadcaster, who has lived among us for many years.
With the vicious system of Apartheid strangling the life and creative spirit in his homeland, he went to England. There he met Norman Manley whose persuasive powers led Peter to come to Jamaica. In the latter part of the 1950s he was joined by his wife, artist Daphne, and their family and Jamaica has been their home ever since. Over the years, he developed into a wise friend and elder to a generation of journalists and academics who treasure his fellowship. One thing I particularly admire about him is his lack of "boasiniss". He knew Nelson Mandela well, a comrade-in-arms, but he is not capitalising on it.
Today, while persons with such a connection are willing to seek a place in the spotlight, not so for Peter Abrahams. Last week, when I made a try to get him to talk on the radio about his experiences with Mandela, it took some persuading. Instead of making himself the centre of interest, he cleverly led me to consider that when famous people pass on we rush to offer our eulogies, bypassing the fact that the individual was not without failings, which made him human. The subsequent discussion proceeded to cover a range of ideas — typical of Peter, always a man of wide thought, a fine elder and a friend. Respect!
gloudonb@y



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[Sir X]

We saw Mandela's fight as our own, says Patterson

Published: Friday | December 13, 2013 0 Comments


Mandela



Governor General Sir Patrick Allen (right) as well as members of the Government and the public attended the memorial service for Nelson Mandela yesterday at the University Chapel, Mona. Also in picture are (from left) Carla Seaga and her husband, former prime minister, Edward Seaga; Opposition Leader Andrew Holness; former prime minister, P.J. Patterson; and Finance Minister Dr Peter Phillips. - Jermaine Barnaby/Photographer




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Daviot Kelly, Staff ReporterIt was as if even the heavens were sorry to see him go. No sooner did the Reverend Dr Marjorie Lewis first mention the name Nelson Mandela, the rains came down - Mother Nature's way of shedding her tears for a great man.
At a memorial service yesterday, those who gathered at the University Chapel in Mona, and more specifically, under the tents outside it, received the showers of blessings as a significant part of the occasion. At every clap of thunder, persons outside shouted "Mandela", opining it was a fitting farewell.
Jamaicans[, South Africans and members of the Diplomatic and Consular Corps representing various other]countries attended.
Mathu Joyini, South African high commissioner to Jamaica, acknowledged the welcome down-pour before delivering a message from the government and people of her homeland. It was a sincere thanks for the "tremendous support, solidarity and bonds of friendship".
"We have been comforted by your calls," she said, referring to the high commission. "We have always known Jamaicans loved Madiba like he was their own son."
She said Mandela was a gift from God and will always be loved for, among other things, his stubborn sense of justice.
"He fought so we … can have a better life," she said. "He fought for our dignity."
MAN OF HONOUR
An admittedly nervous Victor Mkhize, a South African national living in Jamaica, aptly started with a Mandela quote "the brave man is not he who feels afraid, but he who conquers that fear." He called Mandela "a man of honour, humility and selflessness".
"We, as a country, are truly fortunate to have had a person of his stature," he said.
Former Prime Minister of Jamaica P.J. Patterson underlined Jamaica's efforts in lobbying for the abolition of apartheid, a system which kept black South Africans in subjugation.
"The people of Jamaica saw Mandela's fight as their own," said Patterson, lauding Mandela for solidifying the resistance movement from behind his prison bars. But he opined that after his release "only then did the true measure of the man emerge".
Patterson said Mandela insisted on reconciliation and forgiveness "at times at the dismay of many in his movement, who would have sought revenge against their former oppressors".
"The memory of this giant will surely endure throughout the ages to come," he said.

[Sir X]

Mandela's visit in 1991


Michael BURKE

Thursday, December 12, 2013

I saw the Nelson and Winnie Mandela when they came to Jamaica on Wednesday, July 24, 1991 while Michael Manley was prime minister. I had never seen Jamaicans so happy en masse before. The euphoria when Haile Selassie came in 1966 did not equal it -- even though the Rastafarians did climb over the barrier at the waving gallery of the then Palisadoes (now Norman Manley) International Airport and onto the tarmac.

I was a student at Jamaica College (JC) when Selassie came in April 1966 and I well remember that visit more so because Selassie visited JC. The difference then was that the celebration was mainly by Rastafarians. With Mandela it was just about everyone who came out to celebrate. But the Mandela visit was marred by police brutality and a fatality in the National Stadium, when a policeman fired a gun into the Bleachers.
World icon Nelson Mandela died on Thursday, December 5, 2013 at the age of 95.
Nelson Mandela (left) embraces the Prime Minister Michael Manley on his arrival in Jamaica after his release from prison.



World icon Nelson Mandela died on Thursday, December 5, 2013 at the age of 95.


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I take the liberty of quoting myself from my 1991 article in the Jamaica Record captioned 'I saw the Mandelas': "Looking at the crowd inside the Stadium, I estimated that there must have been about 50,000 people there, notwithstanding the fact that the Stadium was built to seat 35,000. I asked the people sitting next to me when last they had ever seen Jamaicans so happy and they could not tell me.
"Suddenly I had a flashback. Wasn't it about 20 years ago [now 42 years ago in 2013] that the Brazilian soccer star Pele, played football in this very Stadium? The incident of policemen, including one of a high rank, beating a spectator because he ran onto the field surely would not be repeated this night."
"How things have changed, I thought. It occurred to me not to even mention this thought as it was too happy an occasion to bring that up. How wrong I was. Thinking of myself I thought 'look how I nearly went to the Bleachers, which is what would have happened had I not been able to talk the soldier into letting me into the Grandstand."
A Grandstand ticket had in fact arrived at the offices of the Jamaica Record for me, but it was handed to me several days after the event. In any event, I consider myself very fortunate to not have gone to the Bleachers. I had planned to go to the northern end, the very secion in which the man was shot.
One more quote my column: "One thing that last week Wednesday taught me is that Jamaicans are far more emancipated form mental slavery than we realise.
"This however does not mean that we do not have a far way to go. I think that the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce president... totally misread the feeling of goodwill towards the Mandelas when he said that he did not support a general time off for work as it would hurt production."
Since Mandela's passing last week, some armchair critics have posited that Mandela should have done more to liberate the poor in South Africa, as if they could have done better. In my opinion, even if Mandela retired as soon as independence was granted and never sought election, he had more than done his duty. Mahatma Gandhi never entered representational politics in India, but he was the father of India's independence and is revered as such.
Those who criticise Mandela today are mainly those who believe that he should have lined up all the former oppressive white Afrikaners in the old apartheid regime and put them before a firing squad. But that is not the Christian way and Mandela was a Christian. Jesus Himself was criticised for not overthrowing the oppressive colonial authorities in Israel.
One also has to remember where South Africa is coming from. At the time of political independence this was certainly a change from the days of slavery when there were at least 12 classes; each according to the shade of their skin colour, from lily-white to very black.
In South Africa, like the south of the United States up to at least the 1960s, there were white schools and black schools. There were white hospitals and black hospitals, white and black restrooms. On trains in the southern United States there were white coaches and black coaches and so on. Black people had to walk with papers not only to identify themselves but also to show that they had the authority to be where they were.
And while education might have been more widespread in Africa than in Jamaica or elsewhere in Africa, it was the white Afrikaners that had the know-how when it came to jobs and so on. When South Africa got their independence, the whites with the education and know-how like lawyers and doctors and engineers had to be kept in such jobs until the black people caught up.
It was not, for example, until the 1990s that black people, in great numbers, controlled business and so on in Jamaica. And this was because it took time for the nation to educate what was previously the so-called underclass. Julius Nyerere addressed this problem in Tanzania.
In many African countries the colonial authorities educated one tribe and gave them jobs to create the divide-and-rule plan there. After Tanzania gained political independence in 1961, the other tribes complained that it was still the one tribe that got the top jobs. Nyerere explained that the system had to remain until the other tribes caught up with education and skills training.
In any event, Mandela shifted some people out of very high jobs and replaced them with poor educated people. I am grateful to Jamaica Observer Editor Karyl Walker for this insight, which he learned first-hand from a visit to South Africa while on the job some years ago. May Nelson Mandela's soul rest in peace.
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[Sir X]

Thunder, lightning as Rastas chant farewell to Mandela


Memorial service for icon held at UWI Chapel



Thursday, December 12, 2013 | 6:04 PM

KINGSTON, Jamaica -- The presence of the Rastafarian community was evident at the memorial service to honour the life of Nelson Mandela at the University of the West Indies (UWI) chapel Thursday.

The Rastafarians, decked in their trademark red, green and gold outfits beat drums and chanted before the official start of the service but it was during a heavy downpour that their presence was heard most.
Nelson Mandela



Nelson Mandela


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At the very moment former Prime Minister PJ Patterson had finished his tribute a bolt of lightning followed by roaring thunder stunned some people who were seated under a tent outside the chapel.
But the Rastafarians were not fazed.
They drew bouts of laughter when they shouted in unison “Jah Rasatafari!”
Mandela was remembered for his forgiving spirit and gentle but firm leadership during the service.
-- Karyl Walker



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[Jawge]

The question should be how much does Ja know about Apartheid? I see some on this site trying to trivialize Apartheid (hence falling into agenda to reduce its significance), by associating it with almost every conflict on the planet.

[Sir X]

If you read the articles you would know that question was raised, and you need to confront those here .

[Jawge]

Me confront? Nah. In the Bible there is a parable about a man sewing seeds (instructive).

[Sir X]

Well kibba yuh mouth.

[Jawge]

Karl yuh know betta ok

[Muadib]

and what have they done about the 'Apartheid' here in Jamaica ?

Clowns...

[Jawge]

Check in at HQ and ask that question first

[Mosiah]

There is apartheid in Jamaica?

[Muadib]

I put the question to the sychophants of the entity that has held power and directed policy for all but 12 years since 1972... (the year of the 'revolution')

[Muadib]

certainly by the dictionary definition..