The movie, and my incredible meeting with Nelson Mandela
Last week I went to see the new movie Invictus. Using the South African rugby team’s superb triumph in the World Cup in 1990, it tells the story of Nelson Mandela’s early presidency and challenges to knit together a country fractured by apartheid. Clint Eastwood, as director, did a great job of telling this story. Trailer here.
It is the anti-Avatar film: no special effects, based on a true story, and real, not blue, people are in it!
It’s a straightforward film, no hamming, not cheesy, very compelling and easy to watch, with solid performances by Morgan Freeman (Mandela) and Matt Damon (Pinaart). It is good entertainment, a feel-good movie.
(see the full text of the poem “Invictus“)
A momentous day
I had the honour of meeting President Mandela about 12 years ago. I was escorting a big Hollywood actor on a publicity tour of South Africa, and part of the itinerary was his meeting with the President.
At the time, I had ‘headline info’ on the history of South Africa, and Nelson Mandela. I knew a little about apartheid (the national policy of segregation of blacks and whites) in South Africa, I knew Nelson Mandela had been jailed by the ruling Afrikaans minority (I remembered the song “Free Nelson Mandela”), I knew he was an iconic figure. But I was more concerned with the Hollywood actor and making sure everything was going to plan.
When we arrived at his residence, I lurked in the background, trying to be as invisible as possible, so attention could be lavished on Hollywood. President Mandela sought me out, and said, “Please, come and have tea with me”. I was mortified to be stealing the attention from Hollywood. ”Thank you sir, but I’m just here to help.” “I know you have been working hard, and I would like you to have tea with me.”
After tea, we went outside for Hollywood to have pictures taken with the President. He sought me out again, and said “Come and take a picture with me”. I cringed and said “no no sir, there’s no need” (please don’t talk to me!) And he said “You will want this picture later. Come.” and made me take a few pictures.
The next day, I was surprised by a gift from the President. A hardback photo book about his life, signed to me. He had sought out the least important person in the room, and made her feel special. (It was an interesting contrast to Hollywood, because with Hollywood, it was all about him, everyone else was there to make sure he was happy. Oh, he wasn’t a bad guy, but next to a Great Man, he was badly diminished.)
His long walk to freedom
That day I went and bought Long Walk to Freedom, his autobiography.
And learned his story in full. As an anti-apartheid leader, he was jailed on Robben Island in a tiny cell for 27 years with hard labour. There were few books, little time outdoors, but a lot of time to think. It is a fascinating, moving and meaningful story.
“As I have already mentioned, I found solitary confinement the most forbidding aspect of prison life. There is no end and no beginning; there is only one’s own mind, which can begin to play tricks. Was that a dream or did it really happen? One begins to question everything. Did I make the right decision, was my sacrifice worth it? In solitary, there is no distraction from these haunting questions.
But the human body has an enormous capacity for adjusting to trying circumstances. I have found that one can bear the unbearable if one can keep one’s spirits strong even when one’s body is being tested. Strong convictions are the secret of surviving deprivation; your spirit can be full even when your stomach is empty.”
When he was released 27 years later at the end of Apartheid, he became South Africa’s first black President, at age 71.
What makes a great man?
I tell this story not to impress you on any kind of claim to fame. I honestly don’t have name-dropping tendencies. I tell you this to impress on you why Nelson Mandela deserves his reputation as a human being of enormous spirit, what we can learn from him, and why I want you to see this film.
It would have been really easy for him to have chosen a different route – either to become a symbol, or to punish those who locked him away for 27 years. Instead, he became even bigger than any of his history.
He chose to use his moment to show how the human spirit can rise above and be more, give more, care more, than events that could break you.
My story confirms the line in the film “No one is invisible to him”.
When I think of his incredible spirit, his generosity to little me, which is in itself graceful for any human being, let alone someone so iconic, and I think of his story, of the years of incarceration, deprivation and suffering, it so inspires me.
That whatever the circumstances, the human heart is capable of expanding to be more and give more than we can imagine. That if he can choose to take the high road, and be a force for good and positive change, then surely little me can too.
The story of Nelson Mandela is not one just about politics. It is the story of a great human being, and of being the best version of you.
That at every fork in the road, we can choose to take the high road and to use it to create a new version of ‘me’.
Since then, I’ve kept the pictures of me and Madiba on display to remind myself of that day of enormous inspiration, and of a special human being. Viva Madiba!
Apparently, factories churn out three million pairs of crocs a month and still can’t meet demand. And their adoption seems to be beyond the usual fashion fad. I remember turning on the TV one morning and seeing my favourite actor, Ian McKellan, being interviewed on a morning show. He was in a gorgeous grey suit, crisp white shirt and a siren red tie …with matching hideous red crocs! Even HE, man of demi-god status (in my books any), had succumbed!
Yes I have a shoe fetish. I could go on about Uggs too, but that’s stating the obvious (I know, Crocs are obvious too, but I needed that mini rant). In around 2002, the fashion world deemed that these weird shoes were what every fashionista needed in their wardrobe. Some approved them because they “elongate broad feet”. To me, they just looked like wearers had alien feet with 5 inch long toes. What gives? The only good thing about them was that if you should see a roach in the furthest corner of your room, you could slam your super pointy shoes down on them, effectively killing them in one fell swoop.
Do you know how long Jessica Simpson had to work out and diet to get into her Daisy Dukes? Well, I don’t know, but if you see her pictures now, you’d know she sacrificed all things pleasurable in life to look the way she did in the Dukes of Hazard movie. Again, unless you’re 19 and have no cellulite or are at the gym every day, it is not a good look. I’m still not sure if you met the afore-mentioned criteria, I still want to see the back of your butt cheeks dangling below the shorts – and if the front is tiny enough for the pockets to hang down, the back is normally tiny enough to let the butt hang down, too. Which just isn’t nice, is it?
Last week I finally tried the ‘famous’ curry crab from 3 Crab Delicacy. It arrives in a claypot, and has a rich curry gravy-soup. It looks gorgeous, with the richness of colours of crab, curry and vegetables (eggplant and lady’s finger).
When I see the January newbies in the gym overdoing it in their first week, I know they’ll never be back. They push themselves so hard they either injure themselves or end up hating it. If you are new to exercise and just starting, take it easy. Don’t worry about what anyone else thinks. You’re doing this for YOU.
Is not just for the mountaineers. Seriously, everyone can do this. There are many options for all levels and many different experiences. It’s all about choosing the right one, and making the right plans.
If you’re not sure if you want to commit to a long trek, the foothills trek is great. You get a taste of what it’s like, but return to ‘civilisation’ relatively quickly. Plus, with a private room, flushing toilet and hot showers, it never feels too much of a strain. You never get beyond 2,000m, so it’s relatively warm, sometimes even hot.
The Annapurna region is home to the Gurkha people, (I was often mistaken for a ‘Gurung’ woman), so is relatively wealthy. You’ll pass through various villages, padis, fields, rivers. The awful thing is when you’re struggling up another painful set of steps, small children run past you, shaming you!
