If you haven't already heard, a marketing firm called Quirk is planning to petition the Lego Co. to make a Nelson Mandela Freedom Fighters set to tell South Africa's best story. So why am I blogging about it, well I actually have a vested interest in this... sort of. My sister work's for the marketing firm in question and she came home all excited about it, before it was broadcast before the nation on prime-time news. So I'm just doing my part to spread the word before the December petition handover - which will mark one year since Madiba's passing! It does seem that Lego is taking over the world, especially in pop culture, from famous movies - The Avengers, The Justice League, Star Wars etc. to other famous films and even TV series'. Even the Beatles have Lego caricatures. So, it kind of feels right that Madiba should get one too - and this is one series that will transcend markets and industries and commercialism, heck, it already has. Quirk may have started this with convenient publicity benefits and a greater message, but its already become bigger than them because it involves so much more; its about continuing immortalizing the Legocy and conveying SA's greatest story to the next generations, in one of the most popular mediums yet. Have you signed the petition? --- www.legocy.co.za The trailer for The Lego movie, released earlier this year. (read ITK's review HERE) This film also transcended a story simply about toys and actually managed to be allegorical of quite a few issues in society. If you haven't seen it i highly recommend it. Here's the link to the LEGO Youtube Channel, to take a firm step into the world of stop-motion.
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South Africa stands still, because in the face of death, nothing else matters. With Nelson Mandela gone, it was imperative that I write… something, anything. This after all, was a man who inspired such things, and much more. The title of this post comes from a line in an article on The Daily Maverick entitled: "With Madiba gone, who do we become?" - and it quite perfectly sums up modern South Africa... a miracle country with many problems and deep flaws. But, with the death of our nations father, we are able to take a moment to step back and reflect, getting out of our own way to look at our current circumstance with a fresh gaze, and realize that we as a country still don't know who we are. We're exiting our difficult teenage years, and now the time has come for us to really show our maturity - or to grasp it very quickly, because that's what needs to happen. This moment of reflection and honoring our great leader was desperately needed, and so, even in death, Nelson Mandela continues to serve South Africa. I was 19 when my father died, but still it has taken a few years to truly become a man – the one I know he and God can look on with something vaguely approaching satisfaction; that I can at least claim to be on the right path toward that beacon, wherever it may be. The years since his death have been an education, the deepest of my young life. South Africa is 19 years into democracy, still just a teenager, and our country’s father has just died. They say the best stories surround a great hero overcoming a mighty foe, and though Madiba was by no means alone, he was the head of the army, the accepted and acknowledged leader in the fight. Apartheid – the great scourge of our nation’s past, and during its existence, the stain on the world map. The stakes could not have been higher. We’ve seen and read about such tales of heroism, endurance and fortitude amid bloodshed, no, blood-flow, and death, strife, unimaginable pain and anguish. We, South Africa were born out of a tormented and warped past, one still haunting us today, though more so the older generations. But now that that demonic system of oppression lay like a vanquished enemy in the dust of history, the great hero who spear-headed the campaign, has taken his final bow. Apartheid called for a great leader to arise, and, in quiet calm dignity, he, Mandela, answered that call. Now, when there are no more such evil enemies holding us captive, and no more heroes of Mandela's caliber left or required (stealing a glance at the fallen or slain greats like Walter Sisulu, Oliver Tambo, Goven Mbeki, Chris Hani and Steve Biko et al.), we are left, to ponder our own devices, to find our path, alone… and together. This is the season, potentially the realization of that dream a good few have spoken of; this great man will forever be a bastion of reference, his legacy a guiding light toward that dream we like to call, the African Renaissance. I believe I speak for the vast majority of SA when saying that we all felt it deeply, even though we saw it coming (nothing can prepare you for that hollow chasm of grief)… it’s that sudden alarm, vague shock when your guiding light, the same light which was so strong in leading you out of the dark, even when hidden in a island dungeon - simply because we knew it remained... is then extinguished. And now we stand still, taking a moment to honour him, before we take those first steps into the unknown, in all our youth and vulnerability. Madiba, you were among the best of us, and stamped the seal as our example, "We South Africans have had the uncommon luxury of outsourcing our morality to one of history’s giants, a man who was simply unable to disappoint." (from the article alluded to earlier)... but now, more than ever, is the time to live by those same morals, and hold one another accountable. I salute you, Tata Till we meet again “The implication of that was if any of us take the witness box, we should take our cue (from Mandela’s speech)… Proclaim your political beliefs, don’t apologise, don’t ask for mercy. If there’s a death sentence, we will not appeal. That’s how Madiba was exemplary in whatever he did. He led from the front. No matter what the risks, he was right in front,” -- Ahmed Kathrada, struggle icon and fellow political Prisoner on Robben Island. This in reference to Mandela’s famous four and a half hour speech at the Rivonia trial, pledging to fight against black and white domination, and saying he was prepared to die for his convictions. “He was, and by the time of his death, universally held to be a great man; he may well be the last of the great men as the concept of greatness retires into the historical shadows.” – JM Coetzee, novelist & recipient of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Literature. Invictus - William Ernest Henley Out of the night that covers me, Black as the Pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years Finds, and shall find, me unafraid. It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll. I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul. --- Ulysses (extract) - Alfred Lord Tennyson [...] ... Come, my friends. 'T is not too late to seek a newer world. Push off, and sitting well in order smite The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths Of all the western stars, until I die. It may be that the gulfs will wash us down; It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles, And see the great Achilles, whom we knew. Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho' We are not now that strength which in old days Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are,-- One equal temper of heroic hearts, Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. --- “… we must also ask ourselves a question: What about the future? I think as we celebrate the life of Nelson Mandela, this becomes a central task, to ensure we do not betray what he and others sacrificed for.” – Former SA Pres. Thabo Mbeki Firstly I’ll say this; when I first heard the term uttered by former South African president Thabo Mbeki, I’d simply taken it on face value. I’d simply used my understanding of the word Renaissance and applied it to an African context. This is not an idea that's grasped easily since the images and thoughts immediately infiltrating our minds when one mentions the word Africa, is poverty, war, animals, rundown cities, corruption, unspoilt terrain, lots of dark skinned people, the Sahara desert, the Pyramids, lots of brown skinned people, colourful flags, a Kenyan winning an Olympic runners medal, “indigenous culture” and perhaps for a privileged enlightened few, the images of everything that may or may not be loosely defined and envisioned as the idea/concept/entity known as “soul”. So then, the term Renaissance doesn’t really gel with all of that; and so it remains, for the time being, a fragile idea, shared by a dedicated few. Then again, ideas and ideals that bring about greatness and great change, is usually started by one. Much like Ghandi’s “be the change” saying – a model that is noticeably void in society today. “A dream is not a dream until it is a dream of a community” – Khoi San saying So anyway, here is the clinical definition and description of what the African Renaissance is and how the Renaissance Foundation (RF) hopes to go about achieving its goals: African Renaissance “It is the regeneration, reclamation, reawakening and a rebirth for the furtherance of the Pan-Africanism within the global context.” (Definition according to the RF.)
[It’s pretty ‘wordy’ I know, but intellectuals will always put it a certain way. Note: furtherance in this context alludes to what all Africans want the world to know about us, as appose to what the media from outside quarters has fed the world.]
What occurred through colonization was that many Africans fail to identify with their own heritage and culture, effectively disowning it because they were led to believe it was inferior to all others. Liberation movements fought physically for our freedom, but the after hundreds of years of pain, war, annexation, migration and subjugation et al, the mental scars run deep, and will only be fully absolved through the next generations; but it’s crucial that the current and future generations retain their heritage. - “Give us sanctuary in the blood of our people.” A message from a Khoi San chief… He knew war was coming (with British settlers) and that survival was unlikely. Fully prepared to die, he sent portions of the tribe to all parts of the country to seek shelter with any who’d accommodate them, with the goal being that, though the tribe would be all but wiped out, there would be a small part of them within the generations to come – an attempt to continue living through and in the children of all the peoples of our nation. Ultimately there are still portions of first nation people living in the Northern Cape, as well as those that fled further north into Namibia. So, there are many facets to the vision, concept and philosophy of African Renaissance, but at the heart of it lies the desire to preserve, and to then grow the consciousness of the African people (All Africans including the diaspora), to positively express ourselves and take action, to eventually correct the wrongs of our past and turn our weaknesses into strengths… … This is a vision that can only be executed if ALL Africans are united. (Another part in realizing this vision is the formation of the African Union to seek, at the very least, political independence in the road to establishing safety, peace and security across the continent. As many know, the complexities within Africa are vast, and thus the best suited to resolve our issues, are ourselves. Although the RF is run by many people, an undeniable driving force in its inception has been apartheid struggle icon and poet/novelist Dr. Wally Serote) Definitions are taken as defined by the Renaissance Foundation (2012). If you're skeptical about the term African (especially since there are so many people from different religions, races, creeds and countries within this continent, we take inspiration from Thabo Mbeki's speech "I am an African" - poetic it may be, but it perfectly encapsulates the beauty, complexity and diversity of what makes us Africans. For the speech, click here A piece about time; the way we wear it, the sands of it over generations... but mostly this is just a quick look at sentiment, the past, and contributing to a tradition within a humble legacy. - By Steven Benjamin Two hands on my wrist, pointing to the past... Ever had that one something that sets you apart from all others? - A small detail about yourself that only you and a few loved ones know about. Something that’s practically inherent; and it can be anything – concealed or in plain sight. Perhaps you were born with different color eyes – a trait you share with your grandmother. Or maybe you have your great-granddad’s pocket knife, which was passed down through the generations to you. In my family I’m privileged to say we have a few things, but only one which comes to mind daily – something that ties me to my Dad, and his father – because I’m reminded of it whenever I perform the seemingly mundane task. It’s an unspoken tradition; one that could well have come about purely by accident, because by all accounts, all the men in my family have no idea who started it or why. What I speak of is the small idiosyncrasy shared by all the Benjamin men – we all wear our watches with the time-face on the inside of our wrists. This occurrence is rarer than you may think. I started doing it because that’s the way my father (God rest him) wore his. I then noticed the same thing with my uncle’s, which is when I learned that they had got it from their father and uncles (God rest them all, apart from my uncles of course). The origins nevertheless, remain unknown. Perhaps it’s too early to call it a family tradition since I wasn’t goaded into doing it – now though, wearing my watch the other way (the normal way) feels wrong and uncomfortable. I would feel proud though if I saw my future son (God will probably bless me with daughters once I’m eventually married) wearing his watch the same way… I suppose beyond my Granddad, my earlier ancestors probably wore those timepieces in specialized lapel pockets with the elegant hanging chain, as appose to the comparatively garish wrist watch. Either that or they were too poor to afford one. Anyway, traditions have to start somewhere, right? All in all, this bears no practical value or fashion sense, and has even proven to be problematic at certain times, especially when lifting things, but the sentimental significance far outweighs any would-be inconvenience. It’s a secretive tie to my family, something that distinguishes me as a proud Benjamin man and part of the humble legacy we forge and share. So, with no known origin (though it was most likely work related, to protect the watch - I have heard of many such incidences, even some military men favor it), the simple act exists, certainly in my mind, enhancing family ties. It’s an unspoken tradition, and a quiet link to my past, present and promising future. God Bless! --->>> *NOTE*: I will be away for the next week and a half, hiking the Fish River Canyon. So be blessed in my absence! And send a few prayers my way, I'll need it. Look out for my updates about the hike - if I survive that is... <<<--- |
[Banner illustration by Joel Kanar]
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