Nelson Mandela’s great-grandson visits Gatineau with a message of hope
Sophie Demers
Nelson Mandela’s great-grandson, Dr. Siyabulela Mandela, came to speak with the students at both Darcy McGee High School and Philemon Wright High School on October 27.
Dr. Mandela is a public speaker and activist. He is currently a regional project manager for East and Southern Africa at Journalists for Human Rights (JHR). He has a Master of Philosophy in conflict transformation and management as well as a PhD in international relationship and conflict resolution from Nelson Mandela University in South Africa.
Before addressing the students at Philemon Wright, Dr. Mandela had lunch with the Black Student Alliance (BSA) student group. Lunch was served from the cafeteria through the No Student Hungry program (NOSH), the school’s free student lunch and nutrition program.
After lunch, Dr. Mandela spoke to the grade 10 and 11 students about his family, their legacy, and the Apartheid in South Africa. “I come from a dark past. A history of marginalization. A history of oppression. A history of colonialism and a history of propaganda. My forefathers, those who came before me, endured the crimes of the upper-class nation, crimes of colonialism. They were stripped of their identity, dehumanized; they were violated and sent to prison for fighting for justice, peace, and equality,” he said.
He told his great-grandfather’s story and highlighted the role women played in his life. He noted that it was Winnie, Nelson Mandela’s second wife, who introduced him to politics. He reminded the young students that much of women’s contributions were erased or overlooked in history.
The speaker highlighted the importance of standing up for those most marginalized, such as Indigenous peoples in Canada, Palestinians in the Middle East, the people in Sudan and Ukraine. He encouraged the younger generation to move through the world with love and motivation for positivity.
Inspired by the previous generations' fight for the freedoms people are experiencing today, Dr. Mandela said, “I engage the younger generation, to remind them of the fight that was put against this oppressive system so that when they raise their ugly heads in our time, we can reject them, we can protest against them, we can fight against them so that we can maintain the values of justice, freedom, democracy, human rights and peace for all.”
“I always remind them that there is a lot we can do and that doing nothing is enabling and siding with those advancing oppression. I choose to be counted among those who stand up and fight in defence of justice. For I come from a lineage of freedom fighters. I have no other option but to stand up and fight,” he said, when asked how he would respond to those who feel that there is little hope in fighting against oppressive governments, discriminatory policies, and violence.
“I would say to my generation, yes, we might be confronted by the realities of war, from Sudan to Ukraine, from Ukraine to Palestine, but we should not lose hope. We should not tire, and we should not cower in the face of these injustices that confront our world today. Ours should be to build upon the foundation laid by those who came before us, as we defend and march for peace, justice, freedom for all,” concluded the young activist, continuing his great-grandfather’s legacy.
Nelson Mandela’s great-grandson, Dr. Siyabulela Mandela, speaking at Philemon Wright high school in Hull to a gymnasium of grade 10 and 11 students. Photo: Sophie Demers
