lunes, diciembre 09, 2013

Nelson Mandela (Madiba)

 
"I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended."

Nelson Mandela



Chorus:
Asimbonanga (We have not seen him)
Asimbonang' uMandela thina (We have not seen Mandela)
Laph'ekhona (In the place where he is)
Laph'ehlikhona (In the place where he is kept)

Oh the sea is cold and the sky is grey
Look across the Island into the Bay
We are all islands till comes the day
We cross the burning water

Chorus....

A seagull wings across the sea
Broken silence is what I dream
Who has the words to close the distance
Between you and me

Chorus....

Steve Biko, Victoria Mxenge
Neil Aggett
Asimbonanga

Asimbonanga 'umfowethu thina (we have not seen our brother)
Laph'ekhona (In the place where he is)
Laph'wafela khona (In the place where he died)
Hey wena (Hey you!)
Hey wena nawe (Hey you and you as well)
Sizofika nini la' siyakhona (When will we arrive at our destination)

"Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again."

 Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela Por Eli Weinberg 1961

"Invictus"

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

William Ernest Henley (1849–1903)

Mentre Nelson Mandela va estar empresonat a Robben Island va llegir i va recitar contínuament aquest poema a altres presos, els seus versos aconseguien enfortir-los pel seu missatge d'autodomini.


"I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. 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



No vull tancar aquesta entrada dedicada a la immensa figura humana que representa Nelson Mandela sense fer referència a algú que conforma part del meu imaginari particular d'Àfrica, Miriam Makeba (Mama Àfrica). "Lumumba" és un tema dedicat a una altra gran figura del continent africà, el congolès Patrice Lumumba, anticolonialista i pare de la independència de l'antic Congo Belga. Aquesta cançó, inclosa en l'àlbum "Keep Me In Mind" (1970), és solament una mostra del compromís que Makeba sempre va expressar amb el seu continent i contra les injustícies que en ell ocorrien.



"Khabuleza", como Miriam explica al principio del vídeo:

"Khawuleza! Khawuleza is a South African song. It comes from the townships, locations, reservations, whichever, near the cities of South Africa, where all the black South Africans live. The children shout from the streets as they see police cars coming to raid their homes for one thing or another. They say "Khawuleza Mama!" which simply means "Hurry Mama! Please, please don't let them catch you!"

Miriam Makeba

Khawuleza parla de les batudes policials que solien ocórrer a Sud-àfrica. Una cançó que per interpretar-la calia tenir molt valor, ja que era considerat un delicte.

+ Informació

http://www.nelsonmandela.org/
 

7 comentarios:

Uno dijo...

Que no saquen partido de los homenajes a Mandela. Que el recuerdo de lo que fué y lo que representa sirva para denunciar la diferencia con los políticos que hoy nos dirigen en todo el mundo. Hacen tanta falta hombres de talla.

Leopold Estapé dijo...

Su ejemplo siempre seguirá entre nosotros.

David Hornero dijo...

A su lado, nuestros dirigentes aun parecen mas miserables.

Un abrazo.

MM de planetamurciano.tk dijo...

En el funeral daba terror ver los que se quedan mientras él se va...

Leo Natura dijo...

Grande ser humano!!!

Anónimo dijo...

Un homenaje necesario.

El Deme dijo...

Todas las personas que lucharon por la dignidad de vivir tienen derecho a ser recordadas siempre.