Nelson Mandela The Living Legend (1918-2013): Reflections On The Colonial State, Nation Building And Progressive Leadership

Abstract

This article is a critique of the autobiographical documentary, Nelson Mandela the Living Legend (1918-2013), produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation to showcase the legendary hallmarks of former President Mandela’s role in transforming South Africa from apartheid to democracy. Its central theme evolves from Mandela’s portrayal as a prototype of the nefarious experiences of colonial bigotry under apartheid, a strategist in nation building and eventually providing archetypal leadership in the post-colonial period. Beyond disclosure of the underlying assumptions often associated with Mandela’s classic biographical reviews, the article uses interpretative thematic frames to explicate how the autobiographical narrative epitomises the legend’s astute creative intelligence in championing the transformative dialogue as an embodiment of the aspirations of South Africans. The article navigates both normative and ideological values incorporated in the content through a verbal-visual functional analysis of the main social and political actors as well as institutional contexts represented in the film. In conclusion it notes that, in addition to the content, form and organisation of the documentary, the producers successfully combined the erstwhile social, political and psychological milieu of the apartheid era with the post-apartheid democratic buoyancy. As a result, Mandela is represented as the biblical “Moses” imbued with the anointing to deliver the highly aspired “miracle rainbow” nation in the form of a democratic South Africa.

 Opsomming

 Hierdie artikel is ʼn resensie van die outobiografiese dokumentêr, Nelson Mandela the Living Legend (1918-2013), wat deur die Britse Uitsaaikorporasie vervaardig is om die legendariese waarmerke van eertydse President Mandela se rol in die transformering van Suid-Afrika van apartheid na demokrasie, uit te beeld. Die sentrale tema het ontwikkel uit die voorstelling van Mandela as ʼn prototipe van die skandelike ervarings van koloniale verkramptheid, ʼn strateeg van nasiebou en uiteindelik die argetipiese leierskapgewing in die postkoloniale tydperk. Benewens openbaarmaking van die onderliggende aannames wat dikwels met Mandela se klassieke biografiese besprekings geassosieer word, gebruik die artikel interpretatiewe tematiese raam-werke om te verklaar hoe die outobiografiese vertelling die legende se skerpsinnige kreatiewe intelligensie verpersoonlik deur die herskeppende dialoog te steun as ʼn vergestalting van Suid-Afrikaners se aspirasies. Die artikel rig sowel normatiewe as ideologiese waardes wat in die inhoud geïnkorporeer is, deur ʼn verbaal-visuele funksionele analise van die vernaamste sosiale en politieke rolspelers asook institusionele kontekste wat in die film uitgebeeld word. Ten slotte toon die artikel aan dat, afgesien van die inhoud, vorm en organisering van die dokumentêr, die vervaardigers suksesvol die eertydse sosiale, politieke en sielkundige milieu van die apartheid-era gekombineer het met die post-apartheid- demokratiese lewendigheid. Gevolglik word Mandela voorgestel as die Bybelse “Moses” wat vervul was met die salwing om die “wonderwerk-reënboognasie” wat nagestreef  word in die vorm van ʼn demokratiese Suid-Afrika, te lewer.