REMEMBERING 2013; PART I (THE DEATH OF MANDELA AMONGST OTHER EVENTS)

MADIBA DIED

I had three heroes growing up; Pope John Paul II, Michael Jackson and Nelson Mandela. They all had something in common; helping the less privileged who had no one to fight for them and preaching a message of tolerance and world peace.

Mandela was a vocal activist. He believed that peace is a byproduct of tolerance and for this to be achieved hate must be extinguished. He fought against oppression that was suffered by so many black people in South Africa. I remember the first time I read Sizwe Banzi is dead; a great play written by Athol Fugard. It showed in glaring terms how much of a slave the black South African was. You needed a pass to move from one part of the town to the other and the pass always had to be in your possession because it was your identity and life. Black people could barely keep their heads above water; living in shanty slums, the men working in death trap jobs in the gold mines, the women house servants or petty traders... in other words there was a narrow window for a real career for black people. You were born and died a miserable man; slave to the white man and withheld by segregation.

Mandela changed all that. He gave hope and a voice to the anger that gnawed at the hearts of the black people. By example he showed them that change would not come without sacrifice. He gave them freedom from the greatest thing that held them back; Judgment by the color of skin. There is no gift that will ever be greater than that!

I was stoked in 2005 when my secondary school library shelved a copy of Nelson Mandela book, Long Walk to Freedom. I had been waiting my whole life to hear firsthand the story behind his fight against apartheid. It was a great read; but the one thing I picked from his autobiography was that he changed. He changed from a man who believed that the road to freedom must be derived by violence and bloodshed to a peaceful being who preached tolerance, peace and love.

27 years behind bars; some of it spent in back breaking hard labour. He didn’t stop believing, he didn’t loose hope. His children grew up without the constant presence of their father and his wife without a husband… I can only imagine how crazy it must have been in his head sometimes, how frustrated he got and the psychological strength it took for him to not become a man filled with hate. He came out of prison and the first thing he did was to forgive those who took from him such a huge part of his life. His life was never truly his; spent in service first to the struggle, second to the state and third to activism. He never rested… never stopped being the beacon of hope to people who needed a messiah. He was a great servant, a living hero and the sands that he walked upon will forever be engraved as footsteps too big for anyone to fill.

THE GHOUTA CHEMICAL ATTACK

It’s almost three years since the war in Syria erupted against the backdrop of the Arab spring featuring two main actors; forces loyal to the Ba'ath government and those seeking to oust it.  Total death toll has reached more than 120, 000 as at September 2013. The biggest event this year in the war was the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government. This event is popularly referred to as the ghouta chemical attack. 

The Ghouta chemical attack occurred on 21 August 2013 during the Syrian civil war, when several opposition-controlled or disputed areas of the Ghouta suburbs of the Markaz Rif Dimashq district around Damascus, Syria, were struck by rockets containing the chemical agent sarin. Hundreds were killed in the attack, which took place over a short span of time in the early morning. Estimates of the death toll range from at least 281 to 1,729 fatalities, not less than 51 of whom were rebel fighters.  Many witnesses reported that none of the victims they saw displayed physical wounds, and videos purporting to show victims of the chemical attack were widely disseminated on YouTube and other websites. The incident may be the deadliest use of chemical weapons since the Iran–Iraq War (Wikipedia.org).

MILEY CYRUS TWERKED

I know what some of you are thinking! How is Miley Cyrus’s famous twerking at the 2013 MTV VMAs an event of significance. Well my answer is this... very important! Black people have been twerking for ages and nothing has happened ever! But when a Caucasian like Miley Cyrus does it, world event! From that infamous night alone her songs has gained incredible popularity… She was trending for days on every social media site… her vevo page ends the year as the most watched music videos on youtube with a combined view of 725,284,224 (wrecking ball and we can’t stop). She made it to number three on the Time Magazine person of the year awards.

MTV recently announced her as their artist of the year, she was one of the most searched names on google in August and has an income of $244,517.706 from 2013 alone. So yes! Miley Cyrus twerked and the whole world went crazy! 

People really do love bad girls huh!

THE BOSTON MARATHON

During the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013, two pressure cooker bombs exploded killing 3 people and injuring an estimated 264 others. The bombs exploded about 13 seconds and 210 yards (190 m) apart, near the finish line on Boylston Street. An unprecedented manhunt ensued on April 19, with thousands of law enforcement officers searching a 20-block area of Watertown. During the manhunt, authorities asked residents of Watertown and surrounding areas, including Boston, to stay indoors. The public transportation system and most businesses and public institutions were shut down for 16 days. A Watertown resident discovered Dzhokhar Tsarnaev hiding in a boat in his back yard. He was arrested and taken to a hospital shortly thereafter.  During an initial interrogation in the hospital, Dzhokhar who had not been read his Miranda rights—said Tamerlan was the mastermind. He said the brothers were motivated by extremist Islamist beliefs and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that they were self-radicalized and unconnected to any outside terrorist groups. 

He said they had learned to build explosive devices from an online magazine of the al-Qaeda affiliate in Yemen. Dzhokhar was charged on April 22, while still in the hospital, with use of a weapon of mass destruction and malicious destruction of property resulting in death. He has pleaded not guilty to 30 charges.

TYPHOON HAIYAN

Typhoon Haiyan, known as Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines, was an exceptionally powerful tropical cyclone that devastated portions of Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines, in early November 2013. 

It is the deadliest Philippine typhoon on record, killing at least 6,069 people in that country alone. Haiyan is also the strongest storm recorded at landfall, and unofficially the strongest typhoon ever recorded in terms of wind speed. According to UN officials, about 11 million people have been affected and many have been left homeless.  Donations have been pouring in to help victims of the typhoon especially displaced people. Government response has been criticized in relation to its ability to properly manage the situation, there has also been wide spread looting and increased violence coupled with an escalation in the prices of basic necessities such as food.

 THE NEW POPE

It is not every century you hear of a Catholic Pope stepping down from office; but it happened this year and the catholic church got a new pope in Pope Francis. The Argentine has been noted for his humility, concern for the poor and commitment to peace while affirming the present Church teachings; has stated that Catholics have concentrated officiously on condemning abortion, contraception, and homosexual acts, while neglecting the greater need for tenderness, mercy and compassion. In December 2013, Time magazine named Pope Francis their Person of the Year for 2013.

His most famous action till date remains in march 2013 when he paused during the procession for his inaugural mass as pope to kiss the head of a disabled man.

Well there you have it, drop a comment below and let us know some of the other events in 2013 that you have seen or would like to share.