The struggle is my life he said. I am so proud that I was able to be a small part of the struggle - I remember the years of supporting the boycott of South African goods week after week standing outside supermarkets with other labour party colleagues, ordinary working class comrades. I remember the petitions demonstrations and marches for his release. I might say in the face of bitter opposition from the political right. Then in 1990 we had an impromptu party in my home with other Labour Party friends to watch the moment of his walk to freedom. In 1993 I stood in George Square in Glasgow with my husband and two daughters to see him speak - Glasgow the first city to give him the freedom of their city.
Of course the struggle goes on - yes in South Africa but particularly today in Palestine - occupied Palestine.
These powerful words of Mandela spoken at his trial in Pretoria some up what he believed in.. It is so important we remember people for what they are and what they believe not the image we would create for them.
"It is true, as I have already stated, that I have been influenced by Marxist thought. But this is also true of many of the leaders of the new independent States. Such widely different persons as Gandhi, Nehru, Nkrumah, and Nasser all acknowledge this fact. We all accept the need for some form of socialism to enable our people to catch up with the advanced countries of this world and to overcome their legacy of extreme poverty. But this does not mean we are Marxists."
Amandla!
Of course the struggle goes on - yes in South Africa but particularly today in Palestine - occupied Palestine.
These powerful words of Mandela spoken at his trial in Pretoria some up what he believed in.. It is so important we remember people for what they are and what they believe not the image we would create for them.
"It is true, as I have already stated, that I have been influenced by Marxist thought. But this is also true of many of the leaders of the new independent States. Such widely different persons as Gandhi, Nehru, Nkrumah, and Nasser all acknowledge this fact. We all accept the need for some form of socialism to enable our people to catch up with the advanced countries of this world and to overcome their legacy of extreme poverty. But this does not mean we are Marxists."
Amandla!