Like many teenagers of the 1980s, I found out who Nelson Mandela was through protest songs.
He had already been in a South African prison for more than 20 years when Sun City came out in 1985, a protest song by the Artists United Against Apartheid. Loved the song instantly but the first order of business for me was to grab the dictionary to find out what the heck "apartheid" meant and then the atlas to learn where Sun City and South Africa were.
Once I knew, suddenly I was interested in the lyrics and the meaning of the song, featuring an all-star cast that included Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, U2 and Peter Gabriel.
The following year, I saw Gabriel in concert on the So tour and he closed with Biko, his protest song about the murder by South African police officers of the anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko in 1977.
By this time, Africa and benefit concerts had come together, thanks to Bob Geldof's work, first on the Ethiopian famine relief record Do They Know It's Christmas? and then the Live Aid concerts. So it was no surprise that a concert was held on June 11, 1988 at Wembley Stadium in London to both celebrate the upcoming 70th birthday of Mandela and to demand his release from prison, where he had been since 1963.
I remember watching much of it on TV. Peter Gabriel performed Biko, with Simple Minds as his backup band, but it was a new song performed a few minutes earlier by Simple Minds that got my attention. The song, Mandela Day, featured a chorus that said "Mandela's free," which certainly wasn't the case in 1988 and wouldn't be so for another two years.
The band was criticized harshly after the concert for the song but I thought it was a great song and I was pleased the band included it on their 1989 album Street Fighting Years. It's clear even on a first listen that the song looks forward to a day when justice has been done and everyone can "step outside" and "wipe the tears from your saddened eyes" because Mandela's free.
By that time, Nelson Mandela was a household name and South Africa was the pariah of the international community for their insistence in keeping him in jail and for preserving apartheid. Canadians at the time were being encouraged to boycott companies that were continuing to do business in South Africa.
Fortunately for all of humanity, the man was even greater than the legend. He had been offered conditional freedom numerous times before but refused until his release was unconditional and apartheid was dismantled. In 1990, he got his wish. Immediately, he became an international statesman and, soon after, the first black president of South Africa, inspiring his countrymen, white and black, and the world over with that gentle, scratchy voice and his calm and easy smile. He had the moral authority to call for reconciliation and his country gratefully followed him, making his vision reality.
Today, South Africa remains a mostly peaceful democracy thanks to his efforts, during his time as president, and up until his death Thursday at age 95.
Around the world, just to say the name "Mandela" now evokes discussion of peace and forgiveness.
What an incredible legacy left behind by an incredible man.
