Nelson Mandela,South African patriot and consummate democrat,eloquent in not only explaining the disenchanting reality of apartheid but also working to change it,is a role model for Jamaicans concerned with realizing the goal of our motto:'Out of Many,One People'.
Showing complete knowledge of such laws of social development as 'a people united will never be defeated' and that the thoroughness of a historical action enlarges the size of the mass that perform it, the freed founder of the military wing of the African National Congress express support for the principle of collective leadership and implicitly reject any claim to the cult of the personality.
Unlike some in jmaica,who exaggerate the role of the individual in history with false claims of of superior scholorship,Mandela ,a genuine,humble people,s man,taught jamaican who were listening that the alpha and omega of the struggle for democracy is mass action by those who believe in it.
While acknowledging the differences between Jamaica and South Africa we can nevertheless borrow from Mandela, the role of mass action in erasing political tribalism and black self- hatred in this country. The two evils currently holding back the country which gave the world the principles and opinions of Marcus Garvey and reggae music,are the hatred of black people for black people and political victimization and tribalism. A jamaican mother, whose black child attends a kingston High School for girls, is told by her daughter that she wished she was born white or Indian and warns her mother against bringing 'an ugly brother'into the world.Problems of this nature are being tacled by forces in South Africa,some of them identified by Nelson Mandela as the ANC,South African Communist Party and the United Democratic Front.
Who in Jamaica is tackling the problem of this young deformed mind which is typical of the self-image of black people in this country? Where are our ANC and Our Mandela? Some of those who jumped and pranced at Half way Tree Park,now appropriately name Nelson Mandela Park,hide in their hearts the racist notion that 'anything too black nuh good' and consider the big nose and lips of their black brothers and sisters the quintessential expression of UGLINESS. We rejoice for Mandela,but weep for the mental slaves of Reggaeland where blacks hate blacks and black youth kill black youth.Hating White,Chinese,Indian and Brown Jamaicans is not the way to go about solving the self-hatred of blacks in jamaica,or to build a peaceful and multi-racially secure Jamaica.
If we cannot lay the foundation of sincere and genuine mutual love and respect for one another,by using the instruments of socialization at hand,then we are not part of Mandela's ultimate solution,but his ultimate problem.
Written by the late Eric 'Macko' Mcnish,Revolutinary Journalist,Editor,Musicologist,Political Scientist and Patriot.
Issue Number 12 Jamaica Beat Newspaper
