On December 16, 2013, I arrived in South Africa at the Jambo International Airport and was welcomed with a huge poster of Nelson Mandela waving his hand up as seen in the above picture. I had always thought that I would arrive here while Mandela was still alive.
Little did I know that he would die less than two weeks prior to my arrival into this great country. Upon my arrival, it was immediately very obvious the moment you landed at Jambo International airport that the spirit of Mandela and his legacy never left as it clearly lived on through his people.
Almost everyone at the airport including the airport workers had a pin of Nelson Mandela on their uniforms. It was very touching to see how much this man whose life story was seemingly larger than life was loved by his people and how much had impacted many globally.
Although he’s gone forever physically from this earth, his spirit clearly lives on and the people of South Africa are making a point to celebrate his life and legacy he left behind. Their celebration of his life clearly dominated the sadness of his death so much so that you did not feel sad for his passing.
Need I mention that December might have been the best time to have visited South Africa as you were bombarded with everything Mandela.
And boy oh boy, could the people of South Africa been any more proud to showoff anything about their deceased king and hero – Madiba, starting with that huge poster with his photo that saluted me and many others upon our arrival arrived at the airport.
I have traveled to many countries, however, one of my most memorable trips by far was my recent trip to South Africa which I have coined “Mandelaville” or “Madibaville“. A nickname well deserved as South Africa is well known globally primarily because of Mandela and what he stood for.
My first few touristic stops were in the city of Maponya followed by Soweto, both of which are primarily populated by blacks (minorities). Soweto is where Mandela and the retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu had once lived in Soweto. Soweto had a type of melting pot kind of groove to it probably due to the fact that many foreigners usually find themselves there.
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