By Mike Nicol, Co-author of Mandela – The Authorised Portrait

The idea of Nelson Mandela has begun to take on significance possibly greater than the man himself. There are few individuals of whom this can be said in their lifetimes, but for Mandela it is true. He has come to embody concepts of tolerance and forgiveness that in their depth and magnanimity have even astonished those who know him well. But, as if these ideals, founded on the premises of African ubuntu (that our humanity is confirmed by other people) and universal compassion were not enough, Mandela also stands for the democratic and human rights tenets upon which South African society is constitutionally founded. In addition he has considerable respect for the rule of law.

Ironically, of course, Mandela has also held the opposite of these positions at certain times in his life. He was one of the leading forces behind the formation of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress, and therefore a proponent of violence. There are other instances, for example during his negotiations with the South African government in the mid-1980s when he was inclined to act autocratically and even, once, incurred the censure of his comrades. Similar moments occurred during cabinet sessions once the ANC was in power. And, most famously, although as a lawyer he has championed due process, he regularly broke laws he regarded as unjust and inhumane. Perhaps one of the most important elements of Mandela’s legacy is his ability to hold two opposing ideas without apparent contradiction.

Mandela’s life is about complexity. About seeing the myriad causes that might inform an event, and this has led to his generous world view. Had he been a man who viewed matters in black and white, he would have emerged from Robben Island embittered and angry. In truth he did emerge angry, angry at the futility and waste of the apartheid years, but he did not let this anger obstruct his desire to build a new nation. Instead the anger was sublimated because he realised it would have been a prison of another kind. To escape this darker self-inflicted prison, the anger and the waste were put aside even if they were not forgotten. Freedom lay in understanding and forgiveness. It also lay, as he well knew, in education or an openness to acquire knowledge.

Throughout his life education has been a major concern to Mandela. Often his own education came at a price. There were times when he went hungry in pursuance of his legal studies, there were times when his teachers even tried to dissuade and fail him. For Mandela, education was a way to a better life, a fulfilled life. The MadibaMindset is about education, about acquiring knowledge and self-knowledge. ‘Education is the great engine of personal development,’ Mandela told the author Reginald McKnight. ‘It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.’ This book describes an empowering method to exemplify that dictum.