The Mandela legacy: Its Vincentian Version

Nelson Mandela was a living legend. And now dead, he sits in a Cathedral of Immortals, a special place carved out in the global collective memory for the men and women whose deeds are of such enduring value to the dignity we accord to our humanity that they have passed through the barriers of languages, geography, and time, to become global barometers of our common bonds of human decency, our shared principles of justice, and a universal belief in the inherent dignity of all human beings.

Mother Teresa sits in this Cathedral. Martin Luther King sits there too. But the list, unsurprisingly, is very small indeed. And we pay homage to these stellar souls through acts of memorialization both large and small, both private and public. For Mandela, the naming of things has become one of the most public and powerful ways through which the world has paid homage to his life. The Mandela Centre of Memory reports that worldwide, numerous streets, bridges, educational institutions, buildings, organisms, flowers, statues and monuments bear his name.

Because here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines we are on the precipice of joining this global movement to honour Mandela, taking a brief look at the company we now join offers valuable perspective on why Vincentians’ entry into this parade is perhaps overdue. For example, the Dutch cities of Purmerend, Zoetetermeer, and Amhem have bridges named after Mandela. In the city of Utretch, the Belgians have done the same. Still in Europe, every day French pedestrians stroll along Paris’ Avenue du President Nelson Mandela. In England several roads and neighbourhoods carry names such as Mandela Close and Mandela Way. Gardens in Leeds and Yorkshire also carry Mandela’s name. And in London and Berlin, major schools also now bear Mandela’s name.

The list of cities and countries in Europe, Africa, and North America honouring Mandela in their public building is long and cannot possibly all be named here. But collectively they do underline a central point: Mandela’s transformation from mortal man to immortal icon transcends borders, transcends time, and is a global treasure of immense value to all the world’s people.

Unsurprisingly, Caribbean countries have not been left behind in this process of honouring Mandela. In St. Lucia, our neighbour, the Nelson Mandela Drive memorializes Mandela. Further north, in Jamaica, the Mandela Highway does the same. Indeed, furthest south, in Venezuela, the Nelson Mandela Boulevard in Caracas provides proof that our Spanish speaking neighbours know well that Mandela’s history is one that they too must treasure.

As Vincentians reflect on our own decision to honour Mandela, knowing that we are part of a global consensus that affirms the goodness of Mandela is not without value. There remains a clear necessity for a shared morality that stands as a platform as for constructing and maintaining an international moral universe that respects the inherent dignity of all.

But Vincentians and the broader Caribbean people must also be even more aware that the legend of Mandela and the legacy of Mandela carry a value that is inextricably linked to our own history. The Caribbean history of slavery, colonialism, and racism replicates the South African story in scale, in substance, and in significance. The battles Mandela fought to destroy racial oppression in South Africa, we have fought those battles too. And the foes who slaughtered South African peoples, and robbed them of their land, capital, and freedom, we have fought the same foes on those same principles of resolute resistance against the claims of white supremacy.

Mandela knew, and our forefathers knew, the racial oppression they fought against was neither regional nor parochial. It was and remains an international phenomenon whose most enduring and debilitating claim is the inherent inferiority of Black people all over the world.

The dignity of being Black and the defence of that dignity is as important to Vincentians as any other people in the world. Our history of enslavement therefore commands this reverence we bestow on Mandela. In the 20th century he became the supreme icon of the struggle to assert the equal humanity and worth of Black people. In so doing he elevated to global prominence the principle that no man is free until all men are free everywhere.

In the 100th year of his birth Vincentians have chosen to name a road in Mandela’s honour. When we memorialize Mandela we are doing more than remembering an extraordinary individual. We are also remembering our shared history of racial oppression, racial emancipation, and a belief in the idea that Black Lives Matter. For, in the deepest sense, Mandela’s history is our history, Mandela’s struggle is our struggle, and Mandela’s victory is our victory.