As I watched President Obama deliver his stirring eulogy for Dr. Nelson Mandela during the former president’s memorial service here in Johannesburg, I was struck by a mélange of competing emotions—each one battling for supremacy, each one struggling to anchor me within its reality. Pride and nostalgia, but also a profound sense of loss, disappointment […]
Author Archives: Thomas Mambande
Special to the AFRO
Posted inNational News
The Scramble Marking The Closing Chapter of Mandela’s Life
Johannesburg, S.A.–As former President Nelson Mandela fights what will surely be one of his final battles, it has been incredibly moving to witness as the world hastens to honor him – as tides of praise, tribute and prayers continue to pour in from every corner of the globe. For those of us who have been […]
Posted inCommentary
A Prayer for Mandela and South Africa’s Future
Over the past couple of weeks, I have found myself tuning into the evening news with a wariness that I haven’t experienced in a long time. My usual jadedness – my numb acceptance of the fact that the world is descending irretrievably into chaos- has been pierced by the stark realization that my beloved Madiba, […]
Posted inCommentary
Frank Discussion of Black Sex and Sexuality Needed in Africa
As I read Reverend Lamar’s opinion piece (“Sex, Not Same-Sex Marriage, Should Be Topic of Debate”), my heart sank. For, while reading about the hypocrisy of the black church in America from the distance of my office in South Africa, I was reminded painfully of just how tragic are the ties that seem to bind […]