Let us celebrate the 25th anniversary of the release of Madiba, but let’s not distort history

Tomorrow, 11 February, both the print and broadcast media will be buzzing with the 25th commemoration of Madiba’s release from prison.

His release is following the unbanning of all banned political parties and of course the release of other political prisoners.

This was the beginning of a new journey in our democratic dispensation.

But since the democratic breakthrough, we have seen how the media and the opposition parties like the DA tried very hard to re-write the history of this country by distorting who Nelson Mandela really was.

This new picture of Madiba that is being portrayed to the public does not only undermine the legacy of Mandela but also the liberation struggle where many martyrs were lost in the process.

We are not told about the radical Mandela who was the founding member of the ANC Youth League. We are not told about Madiba who was the Deputy President General of the ANC during his time of arrest; neither are we being told about the Nelson Mandela who was the first commander in chief of Umkhonto Wesizwe (MK).

But rather we are only being told about the Madiba who was the first Black President of this country; the Mandela who stood for peace and reconciliation, the global icon and the father of the nation. There is nothing wrong with this though; but there is everything wrong in distorting history to suite a neoliberal agenda. The story of Mandela did not start in 1990 when he was released.

If we are to do justice to the future generation it will be imperative that we remember that there are not blank pages in history. The bottom line is that you cannot tell the story of Nelson Mandela without telling the story of the ANC and the liberation movement. You cannot tell the story of Nelson Mandela without mentioning his long time friends, OR Tambo and Walter Sisulu.

Our future generation deserves the truth and not this Madiba who is always portrayed as a Saint by the media and the opposition. This is the reason why even during their election campaigns, the name “Nelson Mandela” is always used to amass votes from the electorate. Again, there are no blank pages in history.