Where were you on Friday, 6 December 2013? It's one of the days that will be entrenched in the timelines of history, a day when the world lost the last great Civil Rights Hero of the 20th Century.
On the day Nelson Mandela died, I was sitting in my accommodations in Cape Town. We saw a report that their was activity at Mandela's house, and minutes later we learned Madiba had passed.
It is still so surreal that I was in South Africa when he passed away.
Let me see if I can put this in perspective: Imagine if Martin Luther King Jr. hadn't be assassinated, but rather continued the fight for equality in the Untied States and eventually won the Presidency, becoming the first African-American President. That's the kind of impact Nelson Mandela had on South Africa and in turn, the World.
Nelson Mandela was more than a person. more than the first black President of the Republic of South Africa: He was Madiba, the father of the new South Africa. He was a symbol of Hope. He was a symbol of Peace. He was a symbol of Freedom.
The mood in Cape Town was eerie. Normally, the street our house was on bustled with activity. About a half an hour after the news broke of Madiba's death, I went out to see if anything was happening. It was silent: no sounds, no activity, nothing.
Other than that, the news did not seem to change anything. Let me re-phrase that: People were saddened, but it seemed to be expected. He's been sick for a long time (including a trip to the ICU this past summer). It seemed like people were prepared.
Madiba's life was spent fighting for equality and it took a great toll on his personal life. He's changed so many people's lives that his legacy will echo throughout the ages.
"I was not a Messiah, but an ordinary man who became a leader because of extraordinary circumstances"
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