Cape Town - In the spirit of Nelson Mandela, Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, called on the world to harness the light of the late president’s memory to illuminate the way forward.
Harry was a keynote speaker at the UN General Assembly’s meeting to mark the observance of “Nelson Mandela International Day” in New York on Monday.
Touching on issues around climate change, the pandemic and threats to democracy, he said it had been a “painful year in a painful decade”.
He reflected on the legacy of Mandela who he said was “able to see the goodness in humanity, not because he was blind to the ugliness, the injustices of the world. He saw them clearly; he had lived them but he knew we could overcome them."
“Climate change (continues) wreaking havoc on our planet, a few are weaponizing lies and disinformation at the expense of the many. We are witnessing a global assault on democracy and freedom. Our world has grown less free every year for more than a decade and a half.”
He added that it was time to draw lessons from Madiba to find "meaning and purpose in the struggle.
“(This) crisis will only grow worse, unless our leaders lead. Countries represented by (these) (UN) seats need to make transformative decisions to save humanity. It may not fit the agenda of every political party but the right thing to do is not up for debate. The water is rising all around us. It is more important than ever to seek a purpose greater than ourselves and get to work. Mandela was not only a man of conscience, (he was a) man of action.
“As the new generation comes of age, let’s commit to remembering and celebrating his life and legacy every day, talk with children about what he stood for, seek out what we have in common, harness the light of Mandela’s memory to illuminate the way forward. If we see humanity as he did, a better day will truly be on the horizon.”
Cape Times