"Going to the Mountain" | Memories with Madiba
Growing up in his grandfather’s tutelage, Ndaba Mandela learnt the balance of power and compassion – a value he cherishes the most while scripting memories of his ‘old man’, discusses Arif Mohammad
‘It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory. You take the front line only when there is danger.’
Going to the Mountain vividly portrays a rich tribal culture that had a lasting influence on two men belonging to different generations. It illustrates the important life lessons imparted by Nelson Mandela to his grandson – forgiveness, leadership, education and self-discipline, strength of body and spirit, integrity and responsibility, respect for oneself and others, resistance, passion for life and purpose and, above all, peace. To the world, he was a revolutionary and the first black South African president; but, for Ndaba, he was just his ‘granddad’. Through the narrative, Ndaba recalls how his grandfather steered his life since the early days of living in the ghettos.
The memoir predominantly focuses on the two decades of time shared between the two men – a period when Ndaba unravelled truths about Nelson Mandela, ‘the old man’, more than most others around him. When Ndaba was born in 1982, Mandela or Madiba, as he was known by his clan, had already been a victim of political imprisonment for 19 years. Ndaba’s first encounter with Mandela was at a young age of seven, when the latter was held captive at Victor Verster Prison. Because of his parent’s troubled marriage, Mandela decided to raise his grandson by himself. When Mandela sent a ‘black BMW’ to the ghettos to bring Ndaba, the latter felt an instinct of escape – the window to freedom from a troubled life was here – Ndaba describes his feelings as ‘like the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’. Ndaba’s journey also parallelly reflects South Africa’s coming of age – from the Soweto ghettos to a privileged life of following his grandfather’s footsteps.
The transition was not easy for Ndaba – Mandela always laid high expectations on people around him. Initially, Ndaba had difficulty adhering to Mandela’s ‘strict rules and guidelines’. The old man would often remind him of being a Mandela and people’s complementary expectations from him as a leader. It is not always easy for a young child wanting to have fun like ‘a normal kid’ to follow in the footsteps of a revolutionary. Amidst the confinement and restrictions, Ndaba goes on describing the various compensations he would receive – he meets the ‘King of Pop’ Michael Jackson upon his visit to the Opera House with his granddad.
Mandela took great pride in his identity and his tribe and was also successful in inculcating the same in his grandson. During the time of inhumane apartheid, Mandela wearing the badge of a messiah, went on to become the first Black South African President amidst immense struggle. While having lunch with his granddad, he recalls a call from the then British Queen ‘Elizabeth II’. On the grounds of his clan’s royalty, Mandela, unlike most people, addressed the queen by her first name, ‘Elizabeth’. A sense of untampered dignity separated Madiba from the rest.
Ndaba refers to his second phase of life as an upward moving learning curve and has been grateful to the old man throughout. Mandela would not segregate people on any ground – he would talk to his maid or the cook the same way he would with the kings and queens. Apart from being a great motivator, Ndaba’s work delves into Mandela the great listener, who paid keen heed to every word spoken.
The grandfather-grandson relationship, over time, bloomed as it simultaneously deepened. Ndaba’s first realisation of his grandfather’s fight was when he visited the US and an attendant at the Disney Zoo asked ‘How big do the lions get in Africa?’ – even before his identity was disclosed. He realised how the Westerners held a stereotypical notion of Africa – a land of war, famine and dictators. Such instances made Ndaba believe in his granddad’s fight as an anti-apartheid revolutionary and also in his capabilities as an individual. Throughout the narrative, the young Mandela is not afraid to reflect his shortcomings.
Indeed, the title of the book is apt and is taken from the Xhosa word, Ulwaluko (Going to the Mountain), an ancient coming-of-age rite of the Xhosa tribe, which Nelson himself once endured and through which he proudly shepherds his grandson.
At the end of the day, the book holds an irrevocable message of unlocking the power hidden within each individual. To sum up, the memoir is a cautionary tale of a blooming life that could go either way depending on the intervention of care and support – and one’s ability and power to serve as a catalyst of change.
