independent THE SUNDAY
16
Leader
JUNE 30 2013
Obama’s visit may yet put focus on Africa
Moshoeshoe Monare
We do share your pain, dear Makaziwe
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HEN President Barack Obama returns home after his visit to South Africa and two other African states it is to be hoped that he will do so with a sense of accomplishment other than a tick next the box of “things to do – visit Africa”. The ascension of the first AfricanAmerican to the Oval Office in 2009 raised hopes among many that the arrival of Obama would lead to an increased focus on the continent. Americans say: “It is not over until the Fat Lady sings” but with only about three years left in office, Obama has left it late to dispel the perception that Africa has been low on his administration’s list of priorities. To be fair, these priorities have been many and pressing, not least of which was pulling the US from the brink of an economic depression and then clawing out of a prolonged recession. Then, after a scandal-free first term, Obama has been devoting time to tackling the crises that, in their various forms, afflict all US administrations. The latest of these – electronic spying – erupted just as Obama set off for his belated African safari. And the nations on the list for his short tour tell much of the desire for a quick, happy trip. Missing from the itinerary is the land of his birth, Kenya, where both the president and his deputy are wanted by the International Criminal Court. Also missing is the powerhouse of Nigeria, subject to recent US criticism over human rights abuses. On the menu are peaceful Senegal and Tanzania and South Africa. In his only other visit to Africa Obama spent less than a day in Ghana, so in comparison it could be said the American president is indeed devoting more time to what the Chinese, for one, have clearly marked as a place of economic opportunities. Indeed trade has been placed high on the stated agenda of Obama’s trip, and it is there that he can leave a mark, even if it is to, in effect, further the policies of his predecessors Bill Clinton and George W Bush. Both pushed for increased trade, with Clinton introducing the African Growth and Opportunity Act, with its generous provisions for preferential trade agreements between qualifying African countries and the United States. Under its provision trade has soared, to the benefit of many Africans in many nations, including South Africa. It is up to the US Congress to renew it, but if Obama is to prove his commitment to this continent, then his championing its cause should help sway those who have thus far been disappointed in America’s first black president.
EDITOR Moshoeshoe Monare 011 633 2180 moshoeshoe.monare@inl.co.za
SUNDAY LIFE EDITOR Arja Salafranca 011 633 2464 arja.salafranca@inl.co.za BOOKS EDITOR Mary Corrigall 011 633 2440 mary.corrigall@inl.co.za CHIEF SUB-EDITOR Kenneth Chikanga 011 633 2226 kenneth.chikanga@inl.co.za SPORT Mark Beer 011 633 2374 mark.beer@inl.co.za
Long walk does not lead to SA actors
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HE upcoming feature on Nelson Mandela, given the recent panic surrounding his health, needs an update. Long Walk to Freedom is the definitive feature film that will star Idris Elba as Mandela and is directed by Justin Chadwick, an English director. I have nothing against either of them but I believe given the subject matter and our fledgling film industry, this film should have starred a South African and been directed by a South African. Mandela is South African, we are not merely subjects but alive and engaged in the world. We have many talented men and women. The payback for Mandela’s progressiveness, as usual, seems to come in a manner in which ordinary South Africans pay the price, and are taken advantage of. It is to take advantage of the Struggle against apartheid to assume that a Mandela can be played by everyone except a South African, and that there are no home-grown directors who can re-tell this multi-layered story. My experiences with this film’s production team were that they were bent on using the director they wanted and that other directors could not bid, or provide, treatments. At least this is what happened when I made the suggestion to write an adaptation on Mandela’s book. What you now have is a film about Madiba, written by a Briton, directed by a Briton, filmed by a Briton and acted by a Briton. As early as 2011 I had written an open letter to Mandela and his Foundation, addressing this oversight and what will for generations be a problem associated with this film. I was fortunate to meet Anant Singh in New York
Ken Sibanda during his promotion of Fourth Grader last year. Thereafter I tried to forge a relationship with the “pre-eminent South African film-maker”, but to no avail. I raised the subject of Mandela being played by a non-South African and directed by a non-South African as being offensive and marginally insensitive directly to Sanjeev, Singh’s partner who is aware of my criticism of this endeavour. I also raised the issue of perhaps getting John Kani to direct. What comes out of this situation is that South African film-makers are not respected by other South African filmmakers; South Africans can only be subjects not creators of their own stories, and that South Africans are seen as arrogant to even suggest ownership of their cultural heritage. See the fiasco that surrounded the making of the story on Winnie Mandela – where in the world do you make a movie about a famous person without their permission, even if a book was written about that person? A South African director would have portrayed Madiba’s life not in romantic terms but in terms of deep character understanding, context and
in unapologetic terms. I can imagine my Long Walk to Freedom opening with the show of splendour in a white suburb contrasted thereafter with Mandela’s rural life and the harsh realities of a black South African in 1930s South Africa – to put us in the furnace of apartheid right away – for Mandela would not have had such a great life if it were not for the context of apartheid. This is not a court case Mandela vs South Africa, but a rich multi-layered story in which Madiba has given and received from many. South Africa has a promising film industry but we will never get ahead when the most prominent among us do not reach back and find talent. Something has to be noted on the point that was given concerning Madiba’s height – South Africans are not that tall. The chap playing Nelson Mandela looks nothing like him. Is this a problem? I will answer that question with a question – when period pieces are made, don’t they have to look like the period? In this case the main ingredient/character are unlike the real thing. This is a slippery slope, and here we recall Paul Newman in Hombre where he played a blue-eyed Native American, and Ben Kingsley as Mahatma Gandhi in Gandhi. We should not legitimatise that non-whites can only be subjects and not creators because they are arrogant, inexperienced, and don’t look the part. That is not a reason but merely an excuse for the underlining manner in which movies are made and the tradition of resentment against black filmmakers. In a show of duplicity, even Richard Burton looked like Churchill in Walk with Destiny (The Gathering Storm in the US); James Bond is perennially
played by a Briton – personally I think Humphrey Bogart would have made a good Bond. Character in films is something invaluable; it is the essence and the life breath of the story. Even when the actor is finished acting, you tend to associate him with the character played. This to say that this would have been a great opportunity to introduce a talented South African to the world – a chance that has been squandered. Film-making should be an all inclusive process, a fun process, not an adversarial and pretentious show of economic might, leaving the subjects angry and resentful at the final product. I can imagine that it’s hard on Singh, as well in terms of raising the money, but this is a project that wealthy South African industrialists (some of them Madiba’s friends) should have funded. If not this project, then which one will they fund? If we are to accept the paternalistic argument of the film-makers that South Africans are not ready, then help us – invite us to see what ready looks like. This was our shining moment, to show the world what we could do and we were robbed of that moment. There are more films to come from South Africa, on Shaka Zulu; Christiaan Barnard (first heart surgeon); Mapungubwe (the lost city); Albert Luthuli; King Moshoeshoe; Gary Player and Robert Sobukwe – even World War ll’s General Jan Smuts deserves a film – but next time let’s get it right. South Africa is a talented nation, let’s not sell ourselves short. ■ Sibanda is a South African-born American writer, film director and author of a collection of literary poems The Songs of Soweto: Poems From A Post Apartheid South Africa.
Are leaders born,made or just poached?
Issue No 907
DEPUTY EDITOR Japhet Ncube 011 633 2827 japhet.ncube@inl.co.za
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HEN Agang SA leader Mamphela Ramphele launched the party, she was accused of failing to announce prominent individuals who had joined the party as it prepares to contest next year’s general elections. All she said was many experienced parliamentarians and “battle-hardened activists” would join Agang’s national and provincial leaders in the coming months. For me this evoked the age-old chicken-and-egg question: Are leaders born or are they made? Why would Agang depend on ready-made leaders from other parties? Why can’t Agang SA and every political party, company or organisation, breed, groom or produce its own leaders? After all, countries, parties and even companies groom their own leaders. Where was US President Barack Obama 15 years ago? Where was British Prime Minister David Cameron six years ago? Where was Democratic Alliance leader Lindiwe Mazibuko a few years ago? Where was Adrian Gore (Group chief executive of Discovery Group) 20 years ago, or Sim Shabalala (Standard Bank joint chief executive) five years ago? When did you first hear about these leaders? The above political and business leaders and hundreds of others are evidence that some individuals are
Liza van Wyk born with natural abilities that propel them to leadership. On the other hand it is possible to develop leadership skills in an individual. Too often we see what appear to be natural leadership skills only as people emerge from the shadows of outgoing leaders – from Bill Clinton to Obama, from Jaco Maree to Sim Shabalala – and fail to see the work, time, and effort that the individuals, parties and companies have devoted to getting them to a position of leadership. There are many witty quotations on what leadership means to the people and society at large. Harold R McAlindon said: “A leader may not follow where the path may lead. He goes instead where there is no path and leaves a trail.” Thomas Carlyle described leadership in simple words: “The history of
the world is but the biography of great men.” Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe said: “What chance gathers is easily scattered. A great person attracts great people and knows how to hold them together.” So to the question of are leaders born or made, my answer is simple: leaders are born and leaders are made. Regardless of the leader being born or developed, there are common denominators such as intelligence, communication skills, charisma, followers, creativity, and humility that automatically surface as they are given an opportunity to assume leadership roles. On the other hand, I would argue that those qualities are the result of interactions, experiences and transactions involving a person from birth until the time that you meet them. For me, the four – intelligence, communications skills, charisma and followers – make a leader. Here the late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was spot on when she said: “Watch your thoughts for they become words. Watch your words for they become actions. Watch your actions for they become habits. Watch your habits for they become your character. And watch your character for it becomes your destiny. What we think, we become. “My father always said that… and I
think I am fine.” The Iron Lady was right. We all admire a leader who inspires us, stands by us in times of joy and pain and shares with us joys and triumphs. Whether a leader is born or made, what actually matters is the ability to lead from the front, confidently, winning the confidence of those who look up to you. Good leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision and relentlessly drive it to completion. That’s what great leaders are made of. Who remembers this vision from former president Nelson Mandela? “I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for, and to see realised. But my Lord, if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” Indeed, a leader with vision, such as Mandela, has a clear, vivid picture of where to go. But it’s not enough to have a vision; leaders must also share it and act upon it. It is at this point when I agree with those who say leaders are made. You can’t teach charisma and character. ■ Van Wyk is chief executive of AstroTech Training.
AKAZIWE Mandela’s emotional outburst and her lashing of the media were regrettable, but understandable. She is right to accuse the media of gross insensitivity, considering the journalists hovering like birds of prey at the Mediclinic Heart Hospital, where Nelson Mandela has been for the past three weeks. Like the rest of her family, she is in pain. Mandela is not just a national icon to her, but also a father, who was taken away from her for most of her life. She was forced to share him with the rest of the world when Madiba was finally freed in 1990. Her bitterness and uncontrollable anger are justified. She and her family have had to care for the frail Mandela while the rest of us go on with our lives – until he is in hospital. We only remember him on Mandela Day. “It is very crass. “The fact that my dad is a global icon, one of the 25 most influential people of the 21st century doesn’t mean people cannot respect the privacy and dignity of my dad. “There’s a sort of a racist element with the foreign media where they just cross boundaries. “It’s like vultures, waiting when a lion has devoured a buffalo, waiting there for the last carcass. That’s the image we have as a family. “We don’t mind the interest, I just think it has gone overboard. “I don’t know why these people come here and violate everything in the book,” she told SABC TV on Thursday. Inasmuch as I agree with her that it was unacceptable for some of us to create the impression that anyone could lie about the state of Mandela, she must never underestimate the nation and the world’s anxiety about the icon. I agree with her that some of the rumours and reporting were callously insensitive. An Australian paper reported on Thursday that Mandela had died. However, I think Makaziwe misunderstood the role of the responsible media. The responsible media has told the world that Madiba is critical but stable, and allayed fears and dispelled callous rumours. The responsible media will convey the family and people’s prayers, their hope and pain. Makaziwe must remember it was the same responsible media that reminded the world that Nelson Mandela was still silenced and languishing on Robben Island. It was the media, conveying the hopes and feeling of the people, that ensured that he and his comrades were not forgotten. It was the same international media that enquired about his welfare, plight, and health to make sure that Pretoria did not harm him. His health is not just another sensational story, but a painful experience to all of us. It is out of concern, and not just a professional duty, that we keep watch at Mediclinic with anxiety and sorrow. Makaziwe, no one will dispute that Madiba is your father and that you feel more pain than the rest of us, but the world loves him too. At least Winnie MadikizelaMandela captured the essence of this moment when she appealed to the media on Friday to understand the family’s “bitterness” given the circumstances, but also cautioned against irresponsible coverage.
Mandela HIStory
Accepting an honorary doctorate from the Sheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, Senegal, Nelson Mandela says: “Africa cannot be reborn while its institutions of government do not respect the entitlement of all citizens to all basic human rights.” – June 30, 1992