Latest People: Nelson Mandela 1918-2013
“I am fundamentally an optimist… There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death” – Nelson Mandela (Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela)
The world was overwhelmed by the death of Nelson Mandela who died aged 95 on Thursday 5th December 2013. Brighton and in particular the University of Sussex has a history of links with Nelson Mandela and South Africa. Former President Thabo Mbeki was a student here in the 1960s as were other members of post-apartheid governments in South Africa.
The Mandela Scholarship Fund was set up in 1973 to provide higher education to South African students who were unable to study at degree level due to apartheid laws. Today the University continues to offer 2-3 scholarships per year to South African and Namibian students. Mandela Hall at Sussex University was named after South African’s first black president. Mandela came to Brighton in 2000 to give the closing speech at the Labour Party Conference and thanked supporters in the UK for their help in forwarding the anti-apartheid movement.
Here, Andy Winter, Chief Executive of Brighton Housing Trust, pays tribute to a true hero:
Madiba, the Father of the Nation, is no longer with us. For most South Africans, at home and abroad, this is a moment that we have dreaded but, in recent years, and in particular recent days, have become prepared for. Nelson Mandela is dead.
From my bedroom window for most of my teenage years, growing up in Cape Town, I could see Robben Island, but it wasn’t until I arrived in the UK in 1979 that I first saw a photo of its most famous prisoner. Nelson Mandela’s image was banned in apartheid South Africa, a prison sentence awaiting those who reproduced or possessed it.
In the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s, few would have predicted that a peaceful transition would be achieved from apartheid to democracy, nor that a single individual, long out of public view, serving a life sentence for acts of terrorism, would be the catalyst for change.
Many people tend to forget that Mandela did, indeed, lead the armed struggle and was responsible for planting bombs. One former British Prime Minister is alleged to have described Mandela as “that grubby little terrorist”. But, as they say, one person’s ‘terrorist’ is another person’s freedom fighter. And Mandela was the freedom fighter of all freedom fighters.
At this moment, when the world rightly reflects on the passing of one of the greatest figures of the modern era, and rightfully pays homage for his dignity, his courage and his willingness to forgive, it is worth remembering he had his shortcomings, and today’s corrupt ANC government is also part of his legacy.
A true monument to Mandela, himself without an ounce of corruption, is to build on the legacy of the Rainbow Nation, by routing out the corruption that is endemic throughout the new ruling class in South Africa, and which is holding back the cause of fairness and freedom.
But, along with my fellow South Africans and all right-minded people throughout the world, I am grieving for a simple man and for the Father of the Nation.
Above my desk in my room at BHT, I have a giant election poster of Mandela. My brother, Simon, removed it from a lamp post the day after Mandela was elected our first President in 1994. Tomorrow, as I do every day, I will look at that poster and the giant face of Mandela. I will probably look at it for a little longer than usual, and I will again thank him for what he has done for my beloved country, and for the world.
“What makes the hero truly great is never never to despair”
– Robert Burns.
Churchill Square’s Christmas Giving Tree Appeal
Mayor Cllr Denise Cobb, Chestnut Tree House Patron Ambrose Harcourt, Tara Phillips, Retail Marketing Executive at Churchill Square, Juliette McPherson, East Sussex Community Fundraiser for Chestnut Tree House Brighton College students were at Churchill Square on Saturday 23rd November to launch the Christmas Giving Tree Appeal in aid of Chestnut Tree House hospice. Shoppers select a label from the tree of wishes, purchase the gift on the label, and donate it to the charity.
www.chestnut-tree-house.org.uk
Pic: Ella Self and Mayor Cllr Denise Cobb
Powder Beauty Christmas Market
Sunday 24th November saw Powder Beauty Boutique as it’s never been seen before. A collection of local designers and makers filled the rooms across three floors selling their creations at their vintage Christmas Market. Visitors were treated to cranberry and Cava fizz, homemade cakes, marshmallows and more as they explored all the beautiful boutique had to offer. The event was organised in association with local company Cat-a-Cake Creations (catacakecreations.com). www.powderbeauty.co.uk
Acumen Commercial Property Awards
Acumen Business Law hosted the second Acumen Commercial Property Awards at the Grand Hotel, Brighton on 4th December. The awards celebrated achievements in commercial property across Sussex and categories included Best Development, Best Refurbishment and Most Innovative Office Space.
One of the closest contests was the Most Innovative Office Space Award, and the quality of the entries in this category shows just how highly companies value their employees’ welfare here in Brighton & Hove. The properties that made the finals are set to deliver many of the city’s social and economic regeneration targets including the provision of hundreds of jobs, a skills academy and numerous workshops, market stalls and affordable homes.
www.acumenbusinesslaw.co.uk
Photos: SimonCallaghanPhotography.com
Pic: Penina Shepherd, MD Acumen Business Law with Guy Lloyd, compere
