Amandla!
- Jun 2
- 1 min read
In these times when political leaders are held in such low esteem, it’s salutary to remember how widely respected Nelson Mandela was.
Combining dignity and radicalism, a life-long commitment to justice, a strategic approach to building alliances, and the skill and preparedness to adopt tactics which fitted the moment, from helping found Umkhonto we Sizwe in the 1961 to connecting to white South African rugby fans in the 1995 by wearing the green Springboks jersey, eliciting thunderous applause before the national team won the Rugby world cup, Mandela was a remarkable figure.
If you are in Glasgow next Monday, you have chance not only to see the film ‘Free Nelson Mandela’, which documents his journey from activist to revolutionary, from prisoner to negotiator and how he led South Africa to democracy from a prison cell.
You can also take part in a Q&A with the director Joe Rogan, who says ‘it was a privilege to interview so many of the people closest to Mandela and who helped in the fight to free him. From the prisoners on Robben Island to the politicians on all sides, this work features the leaders, the activists and musicians who took up the battle for freedom from the 1960s onwards’.
Published 2 June 2026
