Boyd Varty: What I learned from Nelson Mandela

Translator: Jayson Ford Reviewer: Ingrid Lezar

I'm a man who's trying to live from his heart,

Ek's ’n man wat uit sy hart uit probeer lewe,

and so just before I get going,

so net voor ek begin,

I wanted to tell you as a South African

wou ek julle vertel, as ’n Suid-Afrikaaner,

that one of the men who has inspired me most

dat een van die mans wat my die meeste geïnspireer het

passed away a few hours ago.

’n paar uur gelede oorlede is.

Nelson Mandela has come to the end

Nelson Mandela het die einde

of his long walk to freedom.

van sy "long walk to freedom" bereik.

And so this talk is going to be for him.

So hierdie praatjie is vir hom.

I grew up in wonder.

Ek't in verwondering grootgeword,

I grew up amongst those animals.

tussen daardie diere,

I grew up in the wild eastern part of South Africa

in die wilde oostelike deel van Suid-Afrika,

at a place called Londolozi Game Reserve.

op ’n plek genaamd Londolozi Wildreservaat.

It's a place where my family has been

Dis waar my familie

in the safari business for four generations.

al vir vier generasies in die safari-bedryf is.

Now for as long as I can remember,

Vir so lank as wat ek kan onthou,

my job has been to take people out into nature,

was dit my werk om mense in die natuur uit te neem,

and so I think it's a lovely twist of fate today

so dit was seker my voorland

to have the opportunity

om die geleentheid te hê

to bring some of my experiences out in nature

om van my natuurervarings daar buite

in to this gathering.

in hierdie byeenkoms in te bring.

Africa is a place

Afrika is ’n plek

where people still sit under starlit skies

waar mense nog onder die sterre sit

and around campfires and tell stories,

en om kampvure stories vertel.

and so what I have to share with you today

So wat ek vandag met julle deel

is the simple medicine of a few campfire stories,

is die eenvoudige medisyne van ’n paar kampvuurstories,

stories about heroes of heart.

stories oor helde van die hart.

Now my stories are not the stories

My stories is nie die stories

that you'll hear on the news,

wat julle op die nuus sal hoor nie.

and while it's true that Africa is a harsh place,

Dis waar dat Afrika ’n harde plek is,

I also know it to be a place

maar ek weet ook

where people, animals and ecosystems

dat Afrika se mense, diere en ekosisteme

teach us about a more interconnected world.

ons kan leer oor ’n wedersyds verbonde wêreld.

When I was nine years old,

Toe ek nege jaar oud was,

President Mandela came to stay with my family.

het President Mandela by my gesin kom bly.

He had just been released from his 27 years of incarceration,

Hy was pas vrygelaat na 27 jaar in aanhouding,

and was in a period of readjustment

en dit was ’n tyd van aanpassing

to his sudden global icon status.

tot sy skielike status as globale ikoon.

Members of the African National Congress

Lede van die ANC

thought that in the bush

het gedink dat hy in die bos

he would have time to rest and recuperate

tyd sou hê om te rus en herstel,

away from the public eye,

uit die publieke oog,

and it's true that lions tend to be

en dis waar dat leeus geneig is om

a very good deterrent to press and paparazzi.

’n baie goeie afskrikmiddel vir die pers en paparazzi te wees.

(Laughter)

(Gelag)

But it was a defining time for me as a young boy.

Maar dit was ’n bepalende tyd vir my as ’n jong seun.

I would take him breakfast in bed,

Ek't vir hom ontbyt in die bed geneem;

and then, in an old track suit and slippers,

daarna, in ’n ou sweetpak en pantoffels,

he would go for a walk around the garden.

het hy in die tuin gaan wandel.

At night, I would sit with my family

Saans het ek met my familie gesit

around the snowy, bunny-eared TV,

om die haasoorantenna-TV, vol sneeu, en gekyk na beelde

and watch images of that same

van dieselfde stil man in die tuin

quiet man from the garden

surrounded by hundreds and thousands of people

omring deur groot skares,

as scenes from his release were broadcast nightly.

soos tonele van sy vrylating elke aand uitgesaai is.

He was bringing peace

Hy was besig om vrede te bring

to a divided and violent South Africa,

na ’n verdeelde en onstuimige Suid-Afrika,

one man with an unbelievable sense of his humanity.

een man met ’n ongelooflike sin vir sy menslikheid.

Mandela said often that the gift of prison

Mandela het dikwels gesê

dat sy vonnis hom die vermoë gegee het

was the ability to go within and to think,

om na binne te keer en te dink,

to create in himself

om binne-in homself

the things he most wanted for South Africa:

die dinge wat hy vir Suid -Afrika begeer het, te skep:

peace, reconciliation, harmony.

vrede, versoening, harmonie.

Through this act of immense open-heartedness,

Deur hierdie daad van ontsaglike openhartigheid

he was to become the embodiment

het hy gestalte gegee aan

of what in South Africa we call "ubuntu."

wat ons in Suid-Afrika "ubuntu" noem.

Ubuntu: I am because of you.

Ubuntu: Ek is, deur jou.

Or, people are not people

Of, mense is nie mense

without other people.

sonder ander mense nie.

It's not a new idea or value

Dis nie ’n nuwe idee of waarde nie,

but it's one that I certainly think at these times

maar dit is een waarop ons in hierdie tye

is worth building on.

beslis kan bou.

In fact, it is said that in the collective consciousness of Africa,

Daar word selfs gesê dat in die kollektiewe bewussyn van Afrika,

we get to experience the deepest parts

ons die diepste dele ervaar

of our own humanity

van ons eie menslikheid

through our interactions with others.

deur ons interaksies met ander.

Ubuntu is at play right now.

Ubuntu is nou in hierdie kamer.

You are holding a space for me

Julle skep ’n ruimte vir my

to express the deepest truth of who I am.

om die diepste waarheid van wie ek is, uit te druk.

Without you, I'm just a guy talking to an empty room,

Sonder julle is ek net ’n man wat praat met ’n leë kamer,

and I spent a lot of time last week doing that,

en ek't verlede week baie tyd daaraan spandeer,

and it's not the same as this.

en dis niks soos dié nie.

(Laughter)

(Gelag)

If Mandela was the national and international embodiment,

As Mandela die nasionale en internasionale ubuntu-vergestalting was,

then the man who taught me the most

dan is die man wat my persoonlik die meeste oor die waarde geleer het

about this value personally was this man,

Solly Mhlongo.

dié man, Solly Mhlongo.

Solly was born under a tree

Solly is onder ’n boom gebore

60 kilometers from where I grew up in Mozambique.

60 kilometer van waar ek grootgeword het in Mosambiek.

He would never have a lot of money,

Hy sou nooit baie geld hê nie,

but he was to be

maar hy was een van die rykste mans wat ek ooit ontmoet het.

one of the richest men I would ever meet.

Solly grew up tending to his father's cattle.

Solly het as kind sy pa se beeste opgepas.

Now, I can tell you, I don't know what it is about people who grow up looking after cattle,

Ek weet nie wat dit is aan mense wat grootword met vee-oppas nie,

but it makes for über-resourcefulness.

maar dit maak vir über-vindingrykheid.

The first job that he ever got in the safari business

Sy eerste werk in die safari-bedryf

was fixing the safari trucks.

was om safari-bakkies te herstel.

Where he had learned to do that out in the bush

Ek weet nie waar in die bos hy dit geleer het nie,

I have no idea, but he could do it.

maar hy kon dit doen.

He then moved across into what we called

Toe het hy oorbeweeg

the habitat team.

na wat ons die habitatspan noem.

These were the people on the reserve

Dié mense is verantwoordelik

who were responsible for its well-being.

vir die reservaat se instandhouding.

He fixed roads, he mended wetlands,

Hy het paaie herstel, hy het vleilande heelgemaak,

he did some anti-poaching.

hy het wildstroping bekamp.

And then one day we were out together,

En toe was ons eendag saam uit,

and he came across the tracks of where a female leopard had walked.

en hy't afgekom op ’n luiperdwyfie se spoor.

And it was an old track,

Dit was ’n ou spoor,

but for fun he turned and he began to follow it,

maar net vir die pret het hy dit begin volg,

and I tell you, I could tell by the speed

en ek sê vir julle, om met sulke spoed

at which he moved on those pad marks

’n spoor te volg

that this man was a Ph.D.-level tracker.

maak die man ’n professor in spoorsny.

If you drove past Solly

As jy verby Solly gery het,

somewhere out on the reserve,

iewers op die reservaat,

you look up in your rearview mirror,

en in jou truspieël gekyk het,

you'd see he'd stopped the car

sou jy sy motor sien stilhou,

20, 50 meters down the road

20, 50 meter af in die pad,

just in case you need help with something.

net ingeval jy hulp met iets nodig gehad het.

The only accusation I ever heard leveled at him

Die enigste ding waarvan hy ooit beskuldig is,

was when one of our clients said,

is toe een van ons kliënte gesê het,

"Solly, you are pathologically helpful."

"Solly, jy is amper té behulpsaam."

(Laughter)

(Gelag)

When I started professionally guiding people

Toe ek ’n professionele gids geword het,

out into this environment,

om mense in die natuur in te neem,

Solly was my tracker.

was Solly my spoorsnyer.

We worked together as a team.

Ons het saamgewerk as ’n span.

And the first guests we ever got

Die eerste gaste wat ons ooit ontvang het

were a philanthropy group from your East Coast,

was 'n filantropiese groep van die VSA se ooskus.

and they said to Solly, on the side, they said,

Hulle het vir Solly gesê, so eenkant:

"Before we even go out to see lions and leopards,

"Voor ons uitgaan om leeus en luiperds te sien,

we want to see where you live."

wil ons sien waar jy woon."

So we took them up to his house,

So toe vat ons hulle na sy huis toe,

and this visit of the philanthropist to his house

en die besoek was toe op ’n tyd

coincided with a time when Solly's wife,

toe Solly se vrou,

who was learning English,

wat besig was om Engels te leer,

was going through a phase where she would open the door

deur ’n fase gegaan het, waar sy altyd die deur oopmaak

by saying, "Hello, I love you.

en sê: "Hello, I love you.

Welcome, I love you." (Laughter)

Welcome, I love you." (Gelag)

And there was something so beautifully African

En dit was so pragtig en eg aan Afrika:

about it to me, this small house

die klein huisie

with a huge heart in it.

met die groot hart daarin.

Now on the day that Solly saved my life,

Die dag wat Solly my lewe gered het,

he was already my hero.

was hy alreeds my held.

It was a hot day,

Dit was ’n warm dag,

and we found ourselves down by the river.

en ons was onder by die rivier.

Because of the heat, I took my shoes off,

As gevolg van die hitte, het ek my skoene uitgetrek

and I rolled up my pants,

en my broekspype opgerol,

and I walked into the water.

en toe loop ek in die water in.

Solly remained on the bank.

Solly het op die oewer gebly.

The water was clear running over sand,

Die helder water het oor die sand gestroom,

and we turned and we began to make our way upstream.

ons't gedraai en stroomop begin beweeg.

And a few meters ahead of us,

En ’n paar meter voor ons

there was a place where a tree had fallen out of the bank,

was daar ’n plek waar ’n boom uit die oewer ontwortel het

and its branches were touching the water,

en sy takke het aan die water geraak,

and it was shadowy.

en dit was skaduagtig.

And if had been a horror movie,

En as dit ’n gruwelfliek was,

people in the audience would have started saying,

sou mense in die gehoor nou begin sê het:

"Don't go in there. Don't go in there." (Laughter)

"Moenie daar in gaan nie."

(Gelag)

And of course, the crocodile was in the shadows.

En natuurlik was daar ’n krokodil in die skaduwee.

Now the first thing that you notice when a crocodile hits you

Die eerste ding wat jy oplet as ’n krokodil jou beetkry

is the ferocity of the bite.

is hoe heftig hy byt.

Wham! It hits me by my right leg.

Bam! My regterbeen getref.

It pulls me. It turns. I throw my hand up. I'm able to grab a branch.

Hy trek my. Hy draai. Ek steek my hand uit. Ek kry ’n tak gegryp.

It's shaking me violently.

Hy skud my wild rond.

It's a very strange sensation

Dit voel baie vreemd

having another creature try and eat you,

as ’n ander wese jou probeer eet

and there are few things that promote vegetarianism like that.

en min dinge sal vegetarisme so doeltreffend bevorder.

(Laughter)

(Gelag)

Solly on the bank sees that I'm in trouble.

Solly op die oewer sien dat ek in die moeilikheid is.

He turns. He begins to make his way to me.

Hy draai. Hy kom na my toe.

The croc again continues to shake me.

Die krokodil hou aan om my te skud.

It goes to bite me a second time.

Hy kom in vir 'n tweede hap.

I notice a slick of blood in the water around me

Ek sien blink bloed in die water om my

that gets washed downstream.

wat stroomaf gespoel word.

As it bites the second time, I kick.

Toe hy my die tweede keer byt, skop ek hom.

My foot goes down its throat. It spits me out.

My voet gaan in sy keel af. Hy spoeg my uit.

I pull myself up into the branches,

Ek trek myself op in die takke in,

and as I come out of the water, I look over my shoulder.

en soos ek uit die water kom, kyk ek oor my skouer.

My leg from the knee down

Van die knie af ondertoe

is mangled beyond description.

is my been onbeskryflik vermink.

The bone is cracked.

Die been is gekraak.

The meat is torn up.

Die vleis is geskeur.

I make an instant decision that I'll never look at that again.

Ek besluit op die daad om nooit weer daarna te kyk nie.

As I come out of the water,

Soos ek uit die water uit kom,

Solly arrives at a deep section,

kom Solly by ’n diep deel aan,

a channel between us.

daar's ’n kanaal tussen ons.

He knows, he sees the state of my leg,

Hy weet, hy sien die toestand van my been,

he knows that between him and I

hy weet dat daar tussen ons

there is a crocodile,

’n krokodil is

and I can tell you this man doesn't slow down for one second.

en sê julle: hy't nie vir ’n oomblik gehuiwer nie.

He comes straight into the channel.

Hy loop reguit in die kanaal in.

He wades in to above his waist.

Die water kom tot bo sy middellyf.

He gets to me. He grabs me.

Hy kom tot by my. Hy gryp my.

I'm still in a vulnerable position.

Ek's steeds kwesbaar.

He picks me and puts me on his shoulder.

Hy sit my op sy skouers.

This is the other thing about Solly, he's freakishly strong.

Dis die ander ding oor Solly: hy's belaglik sterk.

He turns. He walks me up the bank.

Hy draai. Hy loop met my teen die oewer uit.

He lays me down. He pulls his shirt off.

Hy lê my neer. Hy trek sy hemp uit.

He wraps it around my leg,

Hy vou dit om my been,

picks me up a second time,

tel my weer op,

walks me to a vehicle,

dra my na ’n voertuig toe,

and he's able to get me to medical attention.

en hy kry my tot waar ek mediese behandeling kan ontvang.

And I survive.

En ek oorleef.

(Gelag)

Now — (Applause)

Nou -- (Applous)

Now I don't know how many people you know

Nou ek weet nie hoeveel mense julle ken

that go into a deep channel of water

wat deur ’n diep kanaal sal loop

that they know has a crocodile in it

waar hulle weet ’n krokodil is

to come and help you,

om julle te kom help nie,

but for Solly, it was as natural as breathing.

maar vir Solly was dit so natuurlik soos asemhaal.

And he is one amazing example

En hy is een uitsonderlike voorbeeld

of what I have experienced all over Africa.

van wat ek oral in Afrika ervaar het.

In a more collective society,

In ’n meer kollektiewe samelewing

we realize from the inside

is die besef binne-in ons

that our own well-being is deeply tied

dat ons eie welsyn

eng met die welsyn van ander verbonde is.

to the well-being of others.

Danger is shared. Pain is shared.

Gevaar word gedeel. Pyn word gedeel.

Joy is shared. Achievement is shared.

Blydskap word gedeel. Prestasie word gedeel.

Houses are shared. Food is shared.

Huise word gedeel. Kos word gedeel.

Ubuntu asks us to open our hearts

Ubuntu vra ons om ons harte oop te maak

and to share,

en om te deel,

and what Solly taught me that day

en wat Solly my daai dag geleer het

is the essence of this value,

is die kern van hierdie waarde,

his animated, empathetic action

sy vurige, empatiese aksie

in every moment.

in elke oomblik.

Now although the root word is about people,

Nou, die woordstam gaan oor mense.

I thought that maybe ubuntu was only about people.

So ek dag eers ubuntu gaan net oor mense.

And then I met this young lady.

Maar toe ontmoet ek hierdie jong dame.

Her name was Elvis.

Haar naam was Elvis.

In fact, Solly gave her the name Elvis

Solly het haar die naam gegee,

because he said she walked like she was doing

want hy't gesê sy loop asof sy

the Elvis the pelvis dance.

Elvis se bekkendans doen.

She was born with very badly deformed back legs and pelvis.

Sy's gebore met sleg misvormde agterpote en bekken.

She arrived at our reserve from a reserve

Sy't van ’n ander reservaat na ons s'n toe gekom --

east of us on her migratory route.

oos van ons op haar trekroete.

When I first saw her,

Toe ek haar die eerste keer sien,

I thought she would be dead in a matter of days.

het ek gedink sy sou binne ’n kwessie van dae dood wees.

And yet, for the next five years

En tog, vir die volgende vyf jaar

she returned in the winter months.

het sy in die wintermaande teruggekeer.

And we would be so excited to be out in the bush

En ons was so opgewonde as ons in die bos was

and to come across this unusual track.

en op dié ongewone spoor afgekom het --

It looked like an inverted bracket,

soos ’n omgekeerde hakie.

and we would drop whatever we were doing and we would follow,

En ons't alles net so gelos om dit te volg,

and then we would come around the corner,

en dan kom ons om die draai,

and there she would be with her herd.

en daar staan sy met haar trop.

And that outpouring of emotion

En die uitstorting van emosie

from people on our safari trucks

van mense op ons safari-bakkies

as they saw her, it was this sense of kinship.

as hulle haar sien; dit was ’n gevoel van verwantskap.

And it reminded me

En dit het my herinner

that even people who grow up in cities

dat selfs mense wat in stede grootword

feel a natural connection

’n natuurlike verbinding

with the natural world and with animals.

tot die natuur en tot diere aanvoel.

And yet still I remained amazed that she was surviving.

En tog was ek oor en oor verbaas dat sy aanhou leef het.

And then one day we came across them at this small water hole.

En toe kom ons eendag op hulle af by ’n klein watergat.

It was sort of a hollow in the ground.

Dit was ’n holte van soort in die grond.

And I watched as the matriarch drank,

En ek't gekyk hoe die matriarg drink,

and then she turned in that beautiful slow motion of elephants,

en toe draai sy, met daai pragtige stadige beweging van olifante,

looks like the arm in motion,

lyk soos ’n arm in beweging,

and she began to make her way up the steep bank.

en sy begin die steil wal uitklim.

The rest of the herd turned and began to follow.

Die res van die trop draai om en begin haar volg.

And I watched young Elvis

En ek kyk hoe jong Elvis

begin to psych herself up for the hill.

haarself begin opwarm vir die heuwel.

She got visibly -- ears came forward,

Mens kon sien -- hare ore na vore,

she had a full go of it and halfway up,

sy't hard probeer en halfpad op

her legs gave way, and she fell backwards.

het haar bene ingegee, en sy't agteroor geval.

She attempted it a second time,

Sy't ’n tweede keer probeer,

and again, halfway up, she fell backwards.

en weer halfpad agteroor geval.

And on the third attempt,

En op die derde poging,

an amazing thing happened.

het ’n ongelooflike ding gebeur.

Halfway up the bank,

Halfpad teen die wal op,

a young teenage elephant came in behind her,

het ’n jong tienerolifant agter haar ingekom,

and he propped his trunk underneath her,

en met sy stam onder haar gestut,

and he began to shovel her up the bank.

en haar by die wal begin opstoot.

And it occurred to me

En ek't besef

that the rest of the herd

dat die res van die trop

was in fact looking after this young elephant.

hierdie jong olifant oppas.

The next day I watched again

Die volgende dag het ek gesien

as the matriarch broke a branch

hoe die matriarg ’n tak breek

and she would put it in her mouth,

en dit in haar mond sit,

and then she would break a second one

en dan ’n tweede een breek

and drop it on the ground.

en dit op die grond gooi.

And a consensus developed between all of us

En ons gidse wat in die gebied gewerk het,

who were guiding people in that area

het begin saamstem

that that herd was in fact moving slower

dat dié trop stadiger beweeg

to accommodate that elephant.

om daai olifant te akkommodeer.

What Elvis and the herd taught me

Wat Elvis en die trop my geleer het,

caused me to expand my definition of ubuntu,

het veroorsaak dat ek my definisie van ubuntu moes uitbrei,

and I believe that in the cathedral of the wild,

en ek glo dat ons in die teater van die natuur

we get to see the most beautiful parts of ourselves

die weerspieëling van die mooiste dele van onsself sien.

reflected back at us.

And it is not only through other people

En dis nie net deur ander mense

that we get to experience our humanity

wat ons ons menslikheid kan ervaar nie,

but through all the creatures that live on this planet.

maar deur al die wesens wat op hierdie planeet woon.

If Africa has a gift to share,

As Afrika ’n gawe het om te deel,

it's a gift of a more collective society.

is dit die gawe van ’n meer kollektiewe samelewing.

And while it's true that ubuntu is an African idea,

En terwyl dit waar is dat ubuntu is 'n Afrika-idee is,

what I see is the essence of that value

sien ek die essensie van dié waarde

being invented here.

hier ook aan't uitbroei.

Thank you.

Dankie.

(Applause)

(Applous)

Pat Mitchell: So Boyd,

Pat Mitchell: So Boyd,

we know that you knew President Mandela

ons weet dat jy President Mandela geken het

from early childhood

van jou vroeë kindheid af

and that you heard the news as we all did today,

en dat jy vandag die nuus, nes ons almal, gehoor het,

and deeply distraught

en diep ontsteld is

and know the tragic loss that it is to the world.

en weet dat dit ’n tragiese verlies vir die wêreld is.

But I just wondered if you wanted

Maar ek't net gewonder of jy dalk

to share any additional thoughts,

nog gedagtes wou deel,

because we know that you heard that news

omdat ons weet dat jy die nuus gehoor het

just before coming in to do this session.

net voor jy hierdie sessie kom doen het.

Boyd Varty: Well thanks, Pat.

Boyd Varty: Wel, dankie, Pat.

I'm so happy because it was time for him to pass on.

Ek is so gelukkig, want dit was tyd vir hom om aan te beweeg.

He was suffering.

Hy het gely.

And so of course there's the mixed emotions.

So daar's natuurlik gemengde gevoelens.

But I just think of so many occurrences

Maar ek dink net aan so baie voorvalle

like the time he went on the Oprah show

soos toe hy op "Oprah" was

and asked her what the show would be about.

en haar gevra het waaroor die program sou wees.

(Laughter)

(Gelag)

And she was like, "Well, it'll be about you."

En sy was soos: "Wel, oor jou."

I mean, that's just incredible humility.

Ek bedoel, dis net ongelooflike nederigheid.

(Laughter)

(Gelag)

He was the father of our nation

Hy was die vader van ons nasie

and we've got a road to walk in South Africa.

en ons't ’n pad om te loop in Suid-Afrika.

And everything, they used to call it Madiba magic.

En alles, hulle't dit Madiba Magic genoem.

You know, he used to go to a rugby match and we would win.

As hy by ’n rugbywedstryd was, sou ons wen.

Anywhere he went, things went well.

Oral waar hy gegaan het, het dinge goed gegaan.

But I think that magic will be with us,

Maar ek dink die Magic sal met ons wees,

and the important thing is that we carry

en die belangrike ding is

what he stood for.

dit waarvoor hy gestaan ​​het verder dra.

And so that's what I'm going to try and do,

So dis wat ek gaan probeer doen,

and that's what people all over South Africa are trying to do.

en dis wat mense regoor Suid-Afrika probeer doen.

PM: And that's what you've done today. BV: Oh, thank you.

PM: En dis wat jy vandag gedoen het. BV: Ag, dankie.

PM: Thank you. BV: Thank you. Thanks very much.

PM: Dankie. BV: Dankie. Baie dankie.

(Applause)

(Applous)