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BIRDSCONTOUR CALLS FOR LEADERS TO FOLLOW
Was Nelson Mandela
(1918-2013) a Birder?
Photos and
text by Stefan Rust
2013
(In
terms of the Geneva Convention the copyright of these texts belongs to Stefan
Rust)
Mandela was
praised as an extraordinary politician and his values in the fight against
domination, no matter be it black or white domination, resonated so much with
the people that the world supported the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa
despite Margaret Thatcher, prime minister at the time, calling him a
“terrorist”. The world sanctioned South Africa, boycotted sporting events and
supported the Wembley stadium concert calling for the release of imprisoned
Nelson Mandela on Robben Island, being watched by 600 million people.
Not only did
over 90 heads of state unite on the 10th of December 2013 in
celebrating at the memorial service former President Nelson Mandela’s life, but
also nature saluted this extraordinary man with steady rain for his
contribution to nature conservation. In African culture rain is a blessing,
welcoming you into heaven.
Mandela not only
spent his life striving for political justice but also achieved many
accomplishments in regard of conservation. Mandela, a born conservationist,
said that while being imprisoned for 27 years he ”felt the lack of the wild.”
Despite all the
restrictions on Robben Island, prisoner Nelson Mandela still managed to plant a
garden in the early 1970s. This garden was a place for him to lose himself from
the harsh life to find himself. Gardening gave him big pleasure and he produced
vegetables in such an amount that he even gave vegetables to the guards for
their families and he was allowed to create a second garden. How important
these gardens were to him became clear when he once, after having been
released, asked a person that visited Robben Island if he was shown where his
gardens were. This person replied that the guiding person didn,t even know
about the gardens. Mandela was disappointed.
Mandela did not
only study agriculture through books he paid for while being in prison, gaining
good knowledge about agriculture, horticulture and fertilizers but also studied
birds by observing them flying, feeding and resting during the time he
cultivated his garden. Even his opinion about shooting birds on his farm was
challenged when a 5 year old boy once asked him: “Why did you kill that bird?
Its mother will be sad.” And Mandela writes: “My mood immediately shifted from
one of pride to shame; I felt that this small boy had far more humanity than I
did. It was an odd sensation for a man who was the leader of a nascent
guerrilla army.”
Mandela,
together with Dr. Anton Rupert, founded the Peace Parks Foundation in 1997.
This organization works to establish protected transfrontier conservation areas
(TFCAs) that conserve animal migration routes.
This project
supports Mandela’s plan in wanting South Africa to be an exceptional country in
the world but is seriously challenged by some South African politicians that
took over from Madiba (Mandela) and failed him by being greedy and inefficient.
As always when a
country becomes politically unstable, nature conservation becomes sidelined and
Mandela said: “If we do not do something to prevent it, Africa’s animals, and
the places in which they live, will be lost to our world, and her children,
forever. Before it is too late, we need your help to lay the foundation that
will preserve this precious legacy long after we are gone.”
For South Africa
to prosper in all aspects, including nature conservation, BirdsConTour calls on
leaders to work harder in emulating the former President Nelson Mandela.
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