Last week, the death of ex-British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, had the UK divided about her legacy once more. Depending on the position of the commentator on the political spectrum, this division ranged from “The Woman who Divided a Nation” to “The Woman who Saved Britain.” Further south, in South Africa, the legacy of Nelson Mandela is undergoing a division of a different sort.
Wonkie was quite fascinated by the recent headlines about Madiba appearing in the international press: “Nelson Mandela’s family at war over his millions” and “Madiba money row is painful” to name a couple. It is ironic that a man that has dedicated his life to freedom, has inspired his family to be such dedicated slaves to material wealth.
It is obvious that Mandela’s political legacy will be nowhere as divided as Iron Lady Thatcher’s – at the very least, people will acknowledge that he made a positive contribution to South Africa, even if they may quite rightly debate just how much of a contribution he made. In fact, the poll on Wonkie’s previous post on the topic (see What will happen when Nelson Mandela dies) yielded some interesting results about his forecasted legacy.
Mandela has certainly left his mark on the world. Rightly, or wrongly, he has become a symbol of peace, forgiveness and reconciliation – of stepping up and being a better human being, in the face of those that have wronged you. This is a legacy that South Africans can certainly be proud of. Wonkie imagines that the tacky squabbling over money and his brand between his family and friends will probably serve only to tarnish their names, not his.
What is interesting for Wonkie, is that Madiba is not even dead yet, and already he is being considered to be no more than a brand – like Coca-Cola. Yes, it’s valuable but it’s also not a human being. It can be bought, sold, traded, shared, gambled away or marketed. It generates wealth for many, but it’s not a human being. And it’s not just his family that treat him that way. The South African media do too – besides the rights battle to cover his funeral, the media is gagging at every opportunity to increase sales at his expense. Pretty sad, is it not?
A left-wing anti-Thatcher campaign in the UK last week saw the song Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead from the Wizard of Oz shoot up the charts – it ended all the way up at number 2. Perhaps it would be wise for Nelson Mandela to pick and promote his own theme song before he dies. If he waits too long it may likely end up being Mo Money, Mo Problems by Notorious B.I.G.!
.
.
Have you given any thought to your own legacy? If not, you may want to consider going for some legacy coaching with a professional coach. If you’re still hoping to start your charitable foundation after your unlikely winnings from playing lottery online or at some South African online casino, then you probably need a better plan – you should consider getting a life coach instead!
For those of you who are determined to gamble their legacy away (and in the process make sure you don’t accidentally leave anything for your familial ingrates), you should probably check out this great casino directory or try this excellent review for some entertaining options if shopping is not your thing!
.
Related articles on UK political leaders and Nelson Mandela:
.
Loading ...
Loading ...
