Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Winnie Mandela

"Winnie Mandela was the icon of the struggle while he was in prison. The person who fought out the bitter war in daily battles of mind and often of blood and bone".

I couldn't agree more. Beyond her many personal sufferings and deprivations, her human flaws and errors, she did something often overlooked in the narrative: In my simple opinion, it was Winnie Mandela who made Nelson Mandela, and not the other way round. He went to prison for 27 years, and she spent every single day of those twenty seven years fighting psychologically, physically, emotionally, financially, and every which way the struggle demanded— but more importantly, she spent every single day of those twenty seven years keeping the memory of Nelson Mandela alive in the South African and in the global consciousness. She was relentless in ensuring that his name was kept blazing hot while he was away. She seared the conscience of the world with that name, traveling when she could to promote the brand she created and that the liberal world equally found appealing for their own reasons. She ensured he was not forgotten. In her struggle, She so intelligently and strategically privileged his name over and above that of the so many other equally worthy anti-apartheid fighters who suffered like him but whose names 99% of the world have forgotten or never heard of. It was Winnie Mandela who made sure that Nelson Mandela walked out of prison a larger than life hero, even to a generation that never knew him personally. It was Winnie who made Nelson Mandela that.

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