I had been watching the White Storks delicately pinned on the branches of the Bushwillow. They were high in the air, yet these avian masters were unperturbed by the downward pull of gravity nor by the potential failure of their masterful abilities. These birds had conquered any fear of flying long ago and in doing so had found the wonderful release that flight offers.
On this day two decades ago, Nelson Mandela walked free from prison. He walked into a nation of possibilities, some good and some bad. The future of the country lay at his feet and along with it the downward pull of negativity and the possibility of failure in finding a resolve to the situations at hand.
Like the storks however, Mandela had conquered any fear of ‘soaring’ out into the vast challenges that lay ahead and all that he needed was his actual physical release. Upon his release Mandela stated: “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”
By doing so Nelson Mandela flew into the renewal of this amazing country and into the hearts of humanity. He has been an inspiration to people throughout the world and has truly shown what it means to fly with dignity, humility and wisdom. Mandela also showed the world that freedom is a state of mind
Londolozi was hugely proud and honored to be able to have Mandela to stay when he was set free and will continue to honour him in the years to come.
“During my long walk to freedom, I had the rare privilege to visit Londolozi. There I saw people of all races living in harmony amidst the beauty that Mother Nature offers. Londolozi represents a model of the dream I cherish for the future of nature preservation in our country” – Nelson Mandela
Written and Filmed by: Rich Laburn
![Hamerkop Diving For Plattana [rcb] (26)](https://media.londolozi.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/10105855/Hamerkop-Diving-for-Plattana-RCB-26-280x178.jpg)
very cool vid Reech.
Thanks James, glad that you enjoyed it. Final Cut is starting to take shape out here.
Hi, I am David Canevaro work as a Sports therapist …Just say nice post, Good work!!!
thank you very inspiring!
I was at Londolozi working as a nurse when Nelson Mandela came to visit (I think it was Jan. 1991). He was unwell whilst he was there so I had the priviledge to look after him and spent time 3-4 hours alone with him. We were very anxious incase he got very sick up there, I was then called away as we had a spitting cobra incident with one of the staff and then that night I had to take a guest overland in the car to White River as she had been bitten by a snake. So I never got a chance to say goodbye. But during the time that I spent with him he was so humble. I was 23 then and now I am 44 and often think of all the things I would have liked to have spoken to him about. How lucky was I to spend time with such a great man. Working at Londolozi was another one of life’s great experiences, it was the end of a long journey for me as I had travelled overland through Africa but what an amazing place!
Thank you James for reminding me, also I was in Tanzania when Nelson Mandela was freed and although we celebrated there big time I did not see any television coverage till now!!
I would love to contact some of the people I worked with at Londolozi – Paul, Rob, Jane, I would also like to contact Ekim (the taxidermist in White River) Does anyone know where they are????
Thanks for your interesting comments and story Simone, it must have been quite an experience to spend a bit of time with Nelson Mandela at Londolozi.
I suggest you try getting in touch with the various people you mentioned on Facebook.