The Obama's at Robben Island

[sheshe2]

Last edited Mon Jul 1, 2013, 12:36 AM - Edit history (1)

By chipsticks
The Obama Diary~







Margaret Talev @margarettalev

#Obama signs guest book message at #Robben Island pic.twitter.com/9AUZR6gE02
9:19 AM - 30 Jun 2013



http://theobamadiary.com/2013/06/30/robben-island-updating/

[Cha]

1. From your link, she

TheObamaDiary.com @TheObamaDiary

Photo: President Obama stands in Robben Island prison cell where former SA President Nelson Mandela spent 18 yrs pic.twitter.com/CSV15DVTj8



TheObamaDiary.com @TheObamaDiary

The First Family listen to Robben Island prison guide Ahmed Kathrada, who was an inmate with Nelson Mandela pic.twitter.com/OVEDaBhNP6



Valerie Jarrett ✔ @vj44

Robben Island tour guide (former prisoner) said prison is a state of mind. They always knew they would prevail.

Robben Prison's long history of political prisoner's including South Africa's current President, Jabob Zumba..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robben_Island

Mahalo, sheshe, for this very poignant OP.. Pres Obama has said he started his political activism in college because of Nelson Mandela. This has to be a very deep and personal journey for the President and his family.

Why Mandela looms large in Obama’s political psyche

To understand President Obama’s reverence for South Africa’s former president, it’s important to remember the role anti-apartheid activism played on college campuses in the 1980s.

In a Thursday press conference in Senegal, Obama recalled, “My first act of political activism was when I was at Occidental College. As a 19-year-old, I got involved in the anti-apartheid movement back in 1979, 1980, because I was inspired by what was taking place in South Africa.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/06/28/why-mandela-looms-large-in-obamas-political-psyche/

BOG

[sheshe2]

2. The whole story is now an amazing part of our history.

Thank you for providing the information on Ahmed Kathrada~ From inmate to guide at Robbin Island. The unbelievable history of both Nelson Mandella and Jacob Zumba, becoming President of So. Africa after imprisonment.

From your link~
These Presidents truly are alike in so many ways...

“I think at that time I didn’t necessarily imagine that Nelson Mandela might be released, but I had read his writings and his speeches, and I understood that this was somebody who believed in that basic principle I just talked about — treating people equally — and was willing to sacrifice his life for that belief,” he said.

“When I was in law school, in 1990, 1991, to see Nelson Mandela step forward after 27 years of captivity and not only help usher in democracy and majority rule, and one person, one vote in South Africa, but as importantly, for him to say, I embrace my former captors and my former oppressors, and believe in one nation and believe in judging people on the basis of their character and not their color — it gave me a sense of what is possible in the world when righteous people, when people of goodwill work together on behalf of a larger cause,” he said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/06/28/why-mandela-looms-large-in-obamas-political-psyche/

Thank you Cha, BOG

[Cha]

3. Yes, Mahalo, she! That's an all important part of Nelson Mandela that not many

can achieve, she..

“When I was in law school, in 1990, 1991, to see Nelson Mandela step forward after 27 years of captivity and not only help usher in democracy and majority rule, and one person, one vote in South Africa, but as importantly, for him to say, I embrace my former captors and my former oppressors, and believe in one nation and believe in judging people on the basis of their character and not their color — it gave me a sense of what is possible in the world when righteous people, when people of goodwill work together on behalf of a larger cause,” he said.

More on Mandela in Robben Island prison..

The Prisoner

In the winter of 1964, Nelson Mandela arrived on Robben Island where he would spend 18 of his 27 prison years. Confined to a small cell, the floor his bed, a bucket for a toilet, he was forced to do hard labor in a quarry. He was allowed one visitor a year for 30 minutes. He could write and receive one letter every six months. But Robben Island became the crucible which transformed him. Through his intelligence, charm and dignified defiance, Mandela eventually bent even the most brutal prison officials to his will, assumed leadership over his jailed comrades and became the master of his own prison. He emerged from it the mature leader who would fight and win the great political battles that would create a new democratic South Africa.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/mandela/prison/



BOG

[sheshe2]

6. He had twenty seven visitors in all those years.

His indomitable spirit

a spirit that cannot be subdued or overcome, as persons, will, or courage; unconquerable: an indomitable warrior.

It is shown when a courageous person and his principles are pitted against overwhelming odds.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Indomitable%20Spirit

It gave him everything that he needed to take South Africa out of the darkness and into the light. Thank you Nelson Mandela~

Your goodness is felt and passed along to the world. You will be remembered as a man who touched and changed the world. We pray for your continued health.

Thank you Cha~ That was beautiful.

BOG

[Cha]

9. Yeah, I just started tearing a bit, reading it again..

Here's the Message left in the Robben Island Guestbook from PBO.. that I can read better.



http://theobamadiary.com/2013/06/30/south-africa-the-day-in-images/

Compelling, she.. BOG

[sheshe2]

10. beautiful,

it is hard not to tear up, Cha

BOG

[Cha]

11. Powerfully Inspiring words from Mandela, she.. Mahalo~

This first sentence of the top quote reminds me what I read about Pres Obama today ..

'Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice.

Obama pledges to help double electricity in sub-Saharan Africa

President Obama is casting the $7 billion initiative as part of a new US strategy to move the region forward with development not charity dollars.

President Barack Obama is to launch a $7 billion US-funded program to double access to electricity for people in sub-Saharan Africa, the first new big bucks initiative of his tour of the continent.

The Power Africa plan is expected to be announced during Mr. Obama’s visit to Cape Town later Sunday. It follows announcements of new US funds for food security and leadership mentoring schemes for young Africans.

Taken together, these all signal a shift in US policy that would leave the world’s poorest continent less “a dependent” or “a charity case” and more “a partner,” to use buzzwords that the president has repeated during his visit. In these times of austerity and sequestration, this new approach to foreign aid – “the least popular part of the federal budget,” Obama concedes – is also cheaper and makes use of innovative joint public-private cash vehicles.

More & Vid at link..

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2013/0630/Obama-pledges-to-help-double-electricity-in-sub-Saharan-Africa-video

PBO has learned well from his "personal hero", Nelson Mandela

Obama pays tribute to personal hero Mandela

Obama also said he was pleased to be able to take his daughters to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was jailed for 18 of his 27 years' imprisonment under white apartheid rule.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2013/06/201362972025584105.html

Mahalo for this Inspiring thread, she BOG

[treestar]

4. That is really cool to know

As Obama was growing up, knowing about Mandela - they have both accomplished so much.

I remember Mandela being in prison too and it seemed like such a long time. It was good to hear of his release and good that he lived many years after that to be able to do so much good.

[sheshe2]

8. Thank you treestar~

He was an amazing teacher to the world. We are all better for having him in our lives~

[IrishAyes]

5. You've outdone yourselves in this thread.

One of the points made on a national news report was that Mandela and his prison guard became close friends, and the guard once smuggled in Mandela's new grandchild to see him. That was taking quite a risk.

[sheshe2]

7. IrishAyes,

I think that you've just outdone yourself too~

Thank you!

BOG

[IrishAyes]

13. Joy overflowing is contagious.

[Cha]

12. Just had to add this Tweet.. Message to Mandela from these Syrians, she..

Kasai™ @Kahsai

Syrians Message to Nelson Mandela! pic.twitter.com/g0lEegSrpM



http://theobamadiary.com/2013/06/30/a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-words-2/#comments

BOG