Nelson Mandela breathed his last on 5 December. He leaves behind a lasting legacy of determined struggle against discrimination and oppression, for liberty and justice.
The plunder and enslavement of Africa, in a sense, laid the foundations of the modern capitalist world as we know it today. When Nelson Mandela waged his struggle against apartheid in South Africa, it is important to remember that the apartheid regime enjoyed the support of the very countries that wage war and occupation in the name of ‘democracy’ and ‘liberation.’
Mandela will be remembered then, primarily as an icon of the protracted struggle for justice, equality and liberation, of the undying spirit of resistance. People the world over, waging battles for liberation against centuries of oppression and injustice, will always draw inspiration from Nelson Mandela. Mandela passed away on December 5 – a day before the Mahaparinibban Diwas of Babasaheb BR Ambedkar, another icon of struggle against entrenched oppression and injustice.
The struggle waged by Mandela and Ambedkar is far from over, racism, apartheid and social oppression, hand in hand with neoliberal globalisation, continue to hold people in chains. Inspired by their legacy, fighters for liberation will continue to wage struggles with determination and courage till racism and social oppression are fully eliminated.
Dipankar Bhattacharya
General Secretary,
CPI(ML)
