Darren's ode to Madiba

I had my first inkling that the news today – Friday 6 December 2013 – may not be what we all wanted to hear.  

 

Last night I was watching the TV news and Jeremy Maggs and Iman Rappetti were saying that there was a lot of activity outside Nelson Mandela’s house in Houghton, Johannesburg.

 

I kept listening to them and also tuned into ECR for additional news.  The hours ticked by 20h30, 21h30, 22h30 and eventually at 23h30 I still hadn’t heard anything so I went to bed only to be ripped from m ypeaceful sleep by George and these words "Darren, you have to come to work now, Madiba is dead!" The moment that both South Africa and the world was dreading had arrived.

 

You go into emergency mode and your professional side takes over.  I showered, got my stuff together and drove to work.  We have all known that Nelson Mandela has been sick since June this year.  So as a radio show host – you try to prepare yourself for this type of situation.  But no amount of preparation could ever prepare you for the news that one of the greatest men ever to walk the earth has passed away.

 

So with a very, very heavy heart  I had to deal with the very real question on how best to communicate this news to our listeners both in KZN and to a world in mourning.

 

As I was driving to work in the early hours of today, my car window was open and as I drove past several workers walking to work together – I heard them singing.  What struck me is that they weren’t singing songs of mourning but instead songs of praise.  I slowed down to try and hear what it was they were singing.  As they were singing in vernacular, I couldn’t understand what they were singing but it was very clear that they were singing about the life of Nelson Mandela.  There was joy and celebration in the way they were singing.  It lifted my spirits immediately and then I knew that this is how I was going to talk about Nelson Mandela; how he inspired me, our nation and the world.

 

The Sun (British newspaper) ran a headline “The President of the World”, while every single social media network has been trending Nelson Mandela.

I really felt that my responsibility this morning was to communicate his contribution to each of us personally, to the human race -irrespective of race, colour or creed - and to the world and then to celebrate that fact.

 

I tried to do that with the music we played on East Coast Radio this morning.  All the songs played today on ECR celebrate his life, the person he was and the people who he both affected and influenced.

 

In radio you are trained and taught to encourage listeners to listen for longer – today on my show I had a real sense that I didn’t need to do that.  I had a real sense that everybody on the East Coast was listening as they shared their memories, emotions and thoughts with us.

We are all united in this shared loss.  The loss of a man who endured and then encouraged and touched us all – whether in South Africa or internationally.

 

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, may we always remember the massive contribution you made to each of us, our respective provinces, our country, South Africa, and the World.

 

An activist, a lawyer, a prisoner, a President and always the light which lit our hearts and our country.

 

May you rest in peace Madiba.

 

Hamba Kahle Madiba.

Lala Kahle Madiba.

 

- Darren Maule