This book examines the inexhaustible Mandela phenomenon at a crucial time when Madiba’s beloved movement—the African National Congress is experiencing its most difficult and trying times since coming to power in 1994—a challenge that is also haunting the broader former sister liberation movements in Southern Africa, as governing parties struggling to re-articulate their emancipatory trajectories to the satisfaction of those insurgent ‘born-frees’ impatient with the slow pace of democratization and development. Taping into the deep and expansive legacy of Madiba’s life of struggle, from the perspective of critical decolonial ethical perspective, Busani Ngcaweni and Sabelo Ndlovu-Gatsheni’s book, through an impressive and careful assemblage of a mixture of academics, activists and those who worked closely with him, skilfully and empirically demonstrate how Mandela embodied a rare type of leadership that is current missing in many parts of the world. The book displays a deep longing for ethical, committed, humanistic, decolonial and innovative, original and responsive leadership that Mandela’s life of struggle and presidency represented. Far from being another hagiography and biography of Mandela, the book provides the readers with various angles to the Mandela phenomenon.
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“It is a powerful volume that puts a powerful figure on the highest pedestal, to showcase the humility of character, the humanity of being, the generosity of influence, the trust in the commonality of our race, and the warm commandments that must guide our future. As the talented authors speak to a talented hero, our weaknesses are decomposed to elevate our morality, to embrace our enduring desires, and the mandatory compassion that we must cultivate to affirm the uniqueness of our beings and celebrate the positive emblems of our aspirations."

--Professor Toyin Falola, the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Chair of Modern African History At-Large, Benue State University and President of African Studies Association

“We welcome the fresh analytical framework explored in this book, referred to as decolonial ethics of liberation and servant leadership. It opens up new avenues of discourse and insight and elevates pan-African scholarship to new heights.”

--From the Foreword by Prof. Njabulo S. Ndebele, Chair, Nelson Mandela Foundation

“The importance of Mandela in this period of decolonisation cannot be emphasised frequently enough. This book serves as an inspiration to solving the biggest challenge of our time: the agency to overthrow the colonial legacy that makes Africa a consumer of knowledge from the West and most recently also from the East. By placing Mandela at the centre decolonial struggles, the book challenges African leaders to support efforts to make the continent the producer and exporter of knowledge that advance human progress. The legacy of Mandela is impatience with lack of progress and galvanization of excellence in our continent.”

--Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, PhD (Cambridge) is a physicist specialising in computational and artificial intelligence. He is Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research, Internationalisation and the Library at the University of Johannesburg

“Mandela teaches us that in pursuing an ideal that is just and noble there can be no measurement but attaining that ideal! On leadership we learn from Mandela that we lead at the pleasure of our followers!”

--Jabu Mabuza in a businessman and chair of the board of directors of Telkom

"Any publication that attempts to examine the many aspects of Nelson Mandela’s multi- dimensional character is to be welcomed. Madiba never claimed to be a saint and was clear that 1994 was only the beginning of a long road towards building a new country, society and nation. When we evaluate his life and contribution one must always keep in mind the context of the time and the scope of possibilities that was available to the liberation movement. I am sure that in time we will find many mistakes made by Madiba but am certain most studies will conclude that he remained true to a set of values and principles that are needed now more than ever. This publication is timely in that it comes two years before the birth centenary of Madiba which should see an even great scrutiny of his life and legacy."

--Ahmed Kathrada is Madiba’s lifelong friend and comrade who spent over two decades with him in prison after the Rivonia Treason Trial

ABOUT THE EDITORS
BUSANI NGCAWENI is DDG in The Presidency of South Africa and a post-graduate student at the University of Johannesburg where he is also a Fellow at the Institute for Pan-African Thought and Conversations. His recent book is Sizonqoba! Outliving AIDS in Southern Africa (2016).

SABELO J. NDLOVU-GATSHENI is a Professor and Director for Scholarship in the Change Management Unit (CMU) in the Vice-Chancellor's office at the University of South Africa. His latest major publication is The Decolonial Mandela: Peace, Justice and Politics of Life (2016).

CATEGORY
Politics, History/AFRICA

PUBLICATION YEAR
2017

PAGE COUNT
508 Pages