Fresh Inspiration

By Ajireh Nekabachew

February 17, 2006

Former South African president Nelson Mandela (R) smiles during a photo call with visiting Prime Minister Tony Blair at his house in Johannesburg, South Africa February 12, 2006. REUTERS/Howard Burditt

About two days ago I saw a short BBC video clip covering the summit in South Africa. It was attended by, among others, Tony Blair and, you guessed it, Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia.

The journalist described Meles Zenawi as one of Tony Blair’s failures and body languages showed distaste for each other. Sure Zenawi looked like a distressed puppy sticking her tail between the legs. But that is not the object of my writing this piece.

The highlight for me is the conclusion of the clip referred by the journalist as, “a very special encounter.” The last 30 seconds of the video was an interesting image that should impress anyone. The image depicts Tony Blair shaking hands with non other than the illustrious and Former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela. In this video Blair is seen beaming with spectacular, unreserved and genuine smiles, all the time holding and shaking, and never letting go, the hand of Mr. Mandela. In fact the video ends while they were moving away from the camera still holding hands. The journalist concludes by saying, “If Tony Blair needed fresh inspiration to fight for Africa he got it here.”

Mandela, in my opinion, is the most successful leader (and one of the most successful human beings) in the world and can be a model and inspiration for any leader anywhere – Tony Blair included. Mandela’s patience, ability to see the big picture, farsightedness, willingness to suffer, endure hardship and abuse without a spite; his ability to overlook and forgive his captors’ offenses are some of his remarkable qualities. His boldness and selflessness are also in the catalog of his qualities. In a world where “politics” and “honesty” are oxymoron Mandel showed you don’t have to be a crook to be a politician. I think anyone can draw inspirations and lessons from the life of Nelson Mandela. (I presume you recall Nelson Mandela lost about 26 years of his life unjustly imprisoned for defending the truth. Even the then US administration conspired with the evil apartheid to keep him in jail. Sad but true.)

Recently I had the opportunity to go to Nigeria for a conference and I stayed there for two weeks and befriended three white South African nationals. I could see how they held Mandela in the highest esteem not only because he was able to avert a huge genocide in that country but also because of his strong personal character. I think the title, “larger than life” comes to mind.

Do you want to know where our Meles stands? Let me help you out here: It is easy, take all the numerous positive qualities of Nelson Mandela, and flip them backward and that is where you will find Mr. Meles Zenawi.

When Mandela says anything people listen and his quotations receive worldwide coverage. A case in point: When the current administration in the US, George Bush, declared war on Iraq sometime after 911 incident, Mandela had some harsh words for Bush. He literally tore into Mr. Bush for his decision to go to war under flawed pretext of “weapons of mass destruction.” And yet no one dared oppose Mandela, not even George Bush. Of course the rest is history, those words uttered by Nelson Mandela still reverberate as fulfilled prophesy.

As a contrast that reminds me of the lengthy (very lengthy) rebuttal the Ethiopian tyrant wrote in The Ethiopian Herald newspaper in response to EU Commission Observation Team report on May 15, 2005 election. I read a substantial part of the long text, just long enough I got the gist of his message. I was told the total length of his writing amounted to 14,000 words, about 25 pages. 14,000 words later to appear foolish, unpersuasive and lose the respect of many is unfortunate. He bored us to death with his rambling on while he could appeal his case with a two-page honest, sincere-and-from-the-heart response. Generally character precedes the receptivity of ones message. A man of character is a man of fewer words anyway.

Tony Blair has different and somewhat a common politician problem. Sure Blair needs new impetus to fight for the poor in Africa, the last time he tried that some rogue regime in Ethiopia disappointed him. That is the obvious dilemma he is facing. But he has another problem namely, a problem of coming clean. (One could make a cogent argument though that he is an unwitting accomplice in financing a murderous regime. That is beside the point.) He is a regular politician desperately looking for face-saving because of his misjudgment after a big gamble on Meles Zenawi. I have reasons to believe Tony’s conscience is bothering him quite a bit. However, he is plagued by the same disease most politicians are smitten with – inability to own up to one’s failure. Unfortunately the failures mount and sins accumulate because of refusal to take responsibility and changing courses. Tony Blair needs to draw lots of inspirations from Mr. Mandela’s impeccable character of boldness when it comes to defending the truth.

In the South African resort meeting what Meles found out, in a rather rude awakening, is that you cannot gun down children on the streets and lock up your challengers and still hope to sleep at night, make new friends and keep the old ones. He is one lonely soul constantly bothered by the voices of guilt. There is no hope for Meles short of humility and repentance. The Bible says in Numbers 32:23, “…your sin will find you out.”

Dictators invariably forget there are natural and spiritual laws one has to contend with sooner or later. Ones conscience is a delicate warning mechanism that will lose its sensitivity if abused or ignored.

I have had it up to my nostrils with people who try to point out Meles’ cerebral ability. Clearly, I can’t see what these people are seeing. If he had a brain it certainly didn’t translate into solving our dire problems at home. If he had one, to start with, it must have gotten so twisted and lost somewhere between his cranium and heart. That might explain why he lives in a world of make-believe with a total population of 1 and where he is the only one right and everyone opposing him is an enemy from a different planet and qualifies to be locked up. A regrettable state to be in, for sure.

In the final analysis, this life is a zero-sum-game where you reap what you sow, where natural and spiritual laws are active, and where accountability is imminent sooner or later. Hebrew 9:27 “It is appointed unto a man once to die and after that a judgment.” Humility now or humiliation later. We are not left without example and model on how to live our lives or lead our nations. It is given in the person of Nelson Mandela. Inspiration, indeed!