RIP MANDIBA

Feeling quite emotional with all the Mandela coverage. My student and immediate post student years were at the height of the anti-apartheid struggles. I knew many South African & Zimbabwean exiles in London - some of whom went home to take important positions in governments and academia. I remember refusing to buy fruit of unknown origin for fear of it being South African. I made British Lion masks for a dance drama outside the gates of the Springbok match. I remember the smuggled out film 'End of Dialogue' and some of the people who made it especially Rakhetla Tshelana. It was an exciting time to live through in London but we didn't have the hardships of those fighting the real battle in Africa. Seeing all that old footage on tv jogged many many memories. I feel for Graca Machel now widowed twice - but at least she knew it was coming this time, I was with African friends when her first husbands plane was shot out of the sky, an unforgettable day. So many images, so many memories. The end of an era. RIP Mandiba. Nkosi Sikekele Africa.

I couldn't bear it when Cameron was eulogising on the news and being the first to sign the condolence book - what right had he got to do that?