[Nelson Mandela] did not seek the limelight and when it was thrust upon him, he bore it with dignity and restraint. So why this seemingly peacockian display of multi-colored shirts with their bold floral patterns and unusual designs?
They first appeared in the latter part of his life, after his successful leadership in the struggle for freedom and his election as president. Behind him were decades of imprisonment where he labored, pounding large rocks into small rocks and small rocks into smaller rocks. But he chose to eschew vengeance and to embrace reconciliation.
He wore his colorful shirts proudly in public, on the floor of Parliament and when greeting presidents, prime ministers and royalty. The shirt became known as a Madiba, the name of his tribe of which his father was a chief. It is his signature. It demonstrated his enduring connection with his family’s heritage and pride in his country’s culture. Perhaps it also symbolized his people’s hard-won freedom from oppression.
The Madiba should be his burial shroud.
Hank Pollard