As the world mourns and celebrates the life of Nelson Mandela, it is only natural that various interest groups will pour out their tributes in honour of this great man. Even those who over the years chastised him as a terrorist and anti-progressive seems to be re-writing their notes and singing a new song in honour of Madiba.

In a reflective mood, we need to re-examine the ideals of the man who has just passed on to glory, his fight for freedom, his fight against racism and his total indignation against violence lives in the bosom of history. His ideals of freedom must not be seen as a rhetorical value, meant only to please the ears of people, but rather a basic criterion instilled in every individual with a conscience. It must reflect in the lives of those who lead in various social circles, those in authority and those under authority.

Mandela’s fight against oppression and inhuman treatment on the blacks and the Africans in the early 1960s was by then a call for social, economic and racial freedom; his fight against anti-apartheid was essentially seen as a call worth trumpeting. No wonder he was ready to pay the prize for his actions, even if for death. He saw the anti-apartheid movement as a necessary tool for liberation and the independence of the African. Indeed he was jailed for it, and as a prisoner number 46664 he still stood his grounds. Freedom is indivisible; the chains on anyone of my people were the chains on all of them, the chains on all of my people were the chains on me (Mandela, 1995)

Mandela’s greatest challenge was how to forge a new nation made of “Black and White” people it was in this solemn grounds he made this popular statement that, “I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination, never, never, and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another and suffer the indignity of being the skunk of the world, let freedom reign”.

It suffice that, this ideals of Madibapermeated the African continent, where the freedom of hope will one day turn to the sun and shine favourably on the continent, where the rain of freedom will fall on the continent that has almost lost its glory yet seeks for revival. A land filled with poverty yet so rich with natural resources.

The death of Madiba rekindles the pertinenttruth that Africa has almost lost all its glorious leaders; Leaders who paid the ultimate price to save generations, leaders who wagedthe fight against colonialism and imperialism, leaders who told the African story in the African way and devoted their efforts in building a United Africa.

The greatest tribute Africa can ever give Nelson Mandela, is a new form of African leadership, with transformational people, leaders who will fight corruption to provide economic freedom, leaders who will abide by the ethics and values of our continent, being truthful to each other, alleviating poverty, and building a better economy for its people.That is the kind of freedom the African need, to create our own opportunities and to succeed in our own way.

Madiba’s departure must be a wakeup call for Africa; the opportunity was lost when Dr. Kwame Nkrumah blazed the trail for unity. Our leaders must emulate madiba, a leader who was deeply broken by bloody apartheid regime, imprisoned for 27 years, yet walked the path of reconciliation and peace to demonstrate progress in diversity.

I end my reflectionby admonishing all African leaders with a call from Nelson Mandela, when he said that, “A Leader… is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flocks, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realising that all along they are directed from behind”