Books by Eric Douglas

Thriller fiction | Non-fiction: Adventure with a Purpose

  • Home
  • Mike Scott Thrillers
    • Held Hostage: Search for the Juncal
    • Water Crisis: Day Zero
    • Turks and Chaos: Hostile Waters
    • The 3rd Key: Sharks in the Water
    • Oil and Water: Crash in Curacao
    • Return to Cayman: Paradise Held Hostage
    • Heart of the Maya: Murder for the Gods
    • Wreck of the Huron: Cuban Secrets
    • Guardians’ Keep: Mystery below the Adriatic
    • Flooding Hollywood: Fanatics at the Dam
    • Cayman Cowboys: Reefs Under Pressure
  • Withrow Key
    • Lyin’ Fish
    • Tales from Withrow Key
  • Thriller Audiobooks
    • Cayman Cowboys: Reefs Under Pressure
    • Oil and Water: Crash in Curacao
    • Return to Cayman: Paradise Held Hostage
    • Turks and Chaos: Hostile Waters
    • Lyin’ Fish
  • Agent AJ West
  • About the Author
    • Scuba diving thrillers!
    • Six Questions with Eric Douglas
    • Publicity and Interviews
  • Nonfiction
    • For Cheap Lobster
    • Heart Survivor: Recovery After Heart Surgery
    • Oral History
      • Batter Up!
      • Memories of the Valley
      • WV Voices of War / Common Valor
      • Capturing Memories: How to Record Oral Histories
    • Dive-abled: The Leo Morales Story
    • Keep on, Keepin’ On: A Breast Cancer Story
    • WV Voices of War / Common Valor
    • Russia: The New Age
    • Scuba Diving Safety
  • Free Short Fiction
  • Collections
    • Mike Scott Box Set 3 (Books 7-10)
    • Mike Scott Box-Set 4-6
    • Mike Scott Box-Set 1-3
    • Tales from Withrow Key
    • Sea Turtle Rescue and Other Stories
    • River Town
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Documentary / Mandela

Mandela

December 5, 2013 By Eric Douglas

africa walkingI still remember the first time I heard about Nelson Mandela and Apartheid in South Africa. It was 1985 and I was a freshman at Marshall University at the time.

In my freshman speech class, I had to give a persuasive speech on a topic. It seemed like it was all of a three or five minute talk, and of course I was nervous. (Oh, how far I’ve come…) I remember sitting in my dorm room wondering what I was going to talk about and listening to music on my stereo. I put on an album (yes, vinyl) and stared out the window. I flipped the album cover over and immediately had my answer.

The album was Manfred Mann’s Earth Band “Somewhere in Afrika” and on the back cover Mann talked about Apartheid. He was born in South Africa and campaigned against the governmental system based on race and segregation. I remember being amazed that in 1985 there was a government system based on race. (It is possible I was a little naïve.) The album was ground breaking in that it included Afrikan rhythms, lyrics and musicians, predating Paul Simon’s Graceland. Peter Gabriel’s “Biko” also talks about the horrors of Apartheid, and was released earlier, but it was not the basis for the entire album.

Twenty years later (11 years after the end of Apartheid), I had the opportunity to visit Pretoria and Midrand, South Africa. I was eating dinner with a white South African friend and his family when I asked about Apartheid. I could tell it was something he would rather not have discussed, but he asked the manager of the restaurant, who was black, to come over. He told the man what I wanted to know about. The man looked at me for a few moments and said “Things are better now. Before, I would not have had this job and I would not have friends like your friend,” he said, gesturing to my host Dr. Cronje.

Mandela served 27 years in prison until international pressure secured his release after being convicted of sabotage and conspiracy to overthrow the government. When he was released, I’m sure the people of South Africa expected him to be angry and punitive against the white government that had held him in prison for so long. Mandela had a different idea.

If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner. Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela died today. In all of our fascination with “reality” and celebrity, his passing is significant. I’m sure there are other leaders out there who have changed the world as much as he did, but I can’t think of any right now. I hope someone rises in his place. He will be missed, but I pray his legacy lives on. To me the world seems more divided, over less important things, than it has been in years. I wager Mandela would have thought most of what we fight and argue about is trivial.

On another note, music has incredible power to change minds and influence thought. There is no doubt learning of Apartheid through music shaped my feelings years before the west thought much about it. Time to listen to “Somewhere in Afrika” again. It really is a great album.

And it seems like we still have a long way to go..

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Share on Tumblr

Related

Filed Under: Documentary, Travel

Get a free, exclusive short story!

When you sign up, you can download a free Mike Scott short story collection. Theses three stories are only available to members of the mailing list. Don’t worry, we won’t spam you or sell your email address. We hate that, too.

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

.

How I got into diving!

https://youtu.be/gKhw-4tORAM

Real Thugs: A Cult of Murder — Small groups of travelers have disappeared all over the mid-Atlantic without a trace. When bodies turn up with what appear to be ritual markings, FBI Agent AJ West is on the hunt for what might be a serial killer. Or something even more sinister. It’s a race against […]

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Share on Tumblr

View Book

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent Posts

  • Going to the circus! February 20, 2023
  • Cayman Cowboys is now an Audiobook! November 24, 2020
  • Halloween 2020 – as if reality wasn’t scary enough October 30, 2020
  • Real Trick and What Noise? October 30, 2020
  • Local Diving — Summersville Lake September 21, 2020

Blog posts, by category

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 ·

 

Loading Comments...