INSPIRATION FOR ROHINGYA TODAY
We can learn much from leaders in world history—things that will help us learn how we can be successful leaders in our world today. Important to us as Rohingya is the story about apartheid, a form of discrimination present in South Africa from 1948 to 1994. What could we learn from how a leader called Nelson Mandela was able to overcome this injustice to a large extent?
I believe his story could inspire many of us when learn about his great determination and his never-failing belief in justice.
Apartheid involved separation of the population based on racial grounds. There were severe restrictions on the rights and freedoms of Black South Africans and other non-White groups.
The black South Africans cried out about the pain, pleading to be looked on as the real people they were. But most of the world wasn’t listening. They were being ignored.
This story is not unlike what we as Rohingya suffer. Just like every other person created by the God we serve, we have worth, we count, and we want a meaningful life. If only the world could realize this and help us feel that we are part of the family of man.
“But,” you might say, “things have been this way for so long. How could they possibly change? Why even try?”
Hopefully, there will come a time when the eyes of the world are opened and people will see how wrong it is for a whole population to be thought less of in the way so many are.
I can’t help but think of the many “impossibilities” that have become possibilities by determined and courageous leaders of the past. The passion and perseverance of those leaders showed what can be done to overcome seemingly impossible odds to change the world.
One of my favorite statements from Jesus is, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26) Those with great faith have believed those words and found the resolve to make a difference. They realized their work was God’s and did not depend on themselves alone.
Leaders in history are an inspiration to those who long to make a difference to the injustices of today. One of those examples is Nelson Mandela who gave his all to bring an end to apartheid in South Africa. Even where success was only partial, the difference it made was significant.
Mandela came to realize, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” We Rohingya know that to be true.
But the opportunity for education for Africans was no better than it is for Rohingya today. It was not compulsory and was free only in the primary grades. Less than half of all African children of school age attended any school at all, and only a tiny number graduated from high school.
Mandela’s story of his fight to overcome such injustices was a long and painful one. Too much to tell you about here. He ended up in prison for 27 years.
How did he keep his spirits up? Listen to his words:
“Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed to the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.”
in February 1990 he was released from prison. He led negotiations with a new government for an end to apartheid and the formation of a multiracial government. [i]
In 1993, Mandela and South Africa President de Klerk jointly received the Nobel Peace Prize for their work toward dismantling apartheid. On April 27, 1994, Mandela became the first black president in an election that for the first time allowed South Africans of all ethnic origins to vote.
Mandela kept going. He never gave up fighting for what he believed in. His life was focussed on the people who needed him. This was his saving grace. And it could be ours as well.
marja
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