Inaugural Address To Nelson Mandela Essay

I am honoured to be here today on this very special day, the 20th anniversary of the inaugural address of Nelson Mandela, a day which has already taken its place in the history of South Africa. Many of you know me from my role as a journalist during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission years that followed the election of President Mandela. Many of you know me as an outspoken Afrikaner who supported the ANC and the unification of all races and religions in South Africa after apartheid. Many of you know me as a poet and artist who has explored the issues of our country, from racial tension to social injustice.

Today I would like to talk about the speech that Mandela gave to the people of Cape Town on May 9th 1994, the day before he was inaugurated.

We speak as fellow citizens to heal the wounds of the past with the intent of constructing a new order based on justice for all.”

These words have presented all Africans with an enormous challenge. We have had to rise above the temptation to seek revenge, and instead, we have had to learn to forgive and forget. This challenge is one we still face today. In fact many Africans today still think in terms of ‘conquerors’ and ‘conquered’. We have seen this struggle on the farms in the country and in the townships in the cities for the past 20

How is it that, 20 years later, his words still ring true and inspire many of us to put our anger behind us? In his speech he looked out from Cape Town and saw Robben Island, where he suffered for years in exile as a political prisoner. He could have made his Cape Town speech about himself, showing us his personal atrocities as the scar left behind by the apartheid government. Instead he encouraged us to look at this ‘Cape of Good Hope’ in the greater context of world history, where many cultures have come together for centuries. He made us realize that our struggle for reconciliation started long before us. In his words: “The names of those who were incarcerated on Robben Island is a roll call of resistance fighters and democrats spanning over three centuries. If indeed this is a Cape of Good Hope, that hope owes much to the spirit of that legion of fighters and others of their calibre.” By making his Cape Town speech about them, he showed a selflessness that has inspired many. By making his speech about them, he made their suffering meaningful to a new South Africa. Their resistance was not