Literature

The transition of Nelson Mandela from terrorist to most favored political prisoner, thence in 1994 to president of his country of birth, honored by heads of state worldwide, finally taking a seat of honor beside Queen Elizabeth as they rode through the cheering masses in London in July 1996, is one that has few parallels in modern history.

At the new president’s inauguration the world erupted into euphoria at the perceived triumph of the majority Black South African population winning government from its former Caucasian overseers of apartheid.

Was it a portent of things to come, that the introductory words to the presidential inauguration ceremony were changed from “in the presence of Almighty God” to “in the presence of those assembled here”? It seemed rather ironic that immediately following this inaugural declaration, several prayers were offered to the various “gods” of the principal religions of the main ethnic groups in multi-cultural South Africa—Hindu, Islam, Jewish and Christian. This was, indeed, a far cry from the imperial ceremony and religious rites surrounding the founding of the union of South Africa (later to become the republic of South Africa) in 1910 by the descendants of the largely British and Dutch communities. The previous rulers of South Africa could hardly have foreseen this transition of power from white minority to black majority rule that would take place eighty-four years later on that sunny morning in Cape Town, May 9, 1994.