Depending on how one wants to view it, the rift between those who support and oppose climate change action, alleviating poverty and hunger, DEI, and promoting world peace and unity is growing or shrinking.

As more data and statistics have become available, our understanding of the problem has expanded and more stakeholders have become involved. This reminds me of Nelson Mandela’s well-known call for an equitable distribution of resources in his (then) racist homeland: “Work, bread, water, and salt for all.”

Today’s Africa is a brand-new novel, with every page lovingly crafted and nurtured by the populace, the state, and the international community, for whom Mandela continues to serve as a role model.

The Mandela legacy:
Call it the Mandela legacy. Long before the world developed official frameworks and nomenclature to make it mainstream, he advocated for social justice, the fight against poverty, human rights, peace & security, and climate change–some of the key pillars of the UNSDG principles.

What began as a personal initiative to bring a nation together and have a positive, purpose-driven impact on society as a whole gradually grew into a global agenda driven by the United Nations, the World Bank, and the think tank across various organisations, all of which are looking for answers to different questions regarding one major cause, global warming and its impact. Every day, reams of paper are used for research, analysis, or the publication of new findings and directives intended to halt local, national, and international catastrophes brought on by heat waves, rainforest destruction, melting glaciers, and carbon emissions and pollution.

Although these are long-term problems, putting a few fundamentals in place can help repair the already thinly stretched fabric. We, the people, are at the heart of it all. Mandela’s attention to people and his pearls of wisdom teach lessons in sustainability and sustainable living that last a lifetime.

I list below my favorite 10:

1. “I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.” – “Long Walk to Freedom, The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela” written by Nelson Mandela in 1994

2. It is not our diversity which divides us; it is not our ethnicity, or religion or culture that divides us. Since we have achieved our freedom, there can only be one division amongst us: between those who cherish democracy and those who do not (Nelson Mandela by Himself: The Authorised Book of Quotations).

3. Poverty is not an accident. Like slavery and apartheid, it is man-made and can be removed by the actions of human beings.

4. I dream of our vast deserts, of our forests, of all our great wilderness. We must never forget that it is our duty to protect this environment.

5. The very right to be human is denied everyday to hundreds of millions of people as a result of poverty, the unavailability of basic necessities such as food, jobs, water and shelter, education, healthcare and a healthy environment.

6. Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mine worker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation.

7. Thus shall we live, because we will have created a society which recognises that all people are born equal, with each entitled in equal measure to life, liberty, prosperity, human rights and good governance.

8. As long as women are bound by poverty and as long as they are looked down upon, human rights will lack substance. As long as outmoded ways of thinking prevent women from making a meaningful contribution to society, progress will be slow.

9. One cannot be prepared for something while secretly believing it will not happen

10. It takes you out of your comfort zone, away from your normal supports and will have people questioning your sanity. No doubt, it’s a brave move.

Contextually, it is time for us to work together to build a better world. Numerous men and women have already started the lone drive. Let us join them and build momentum for a just and sustainable world!!

You can add to the list dear reader. Let’s take the conversation forward.