One person I definitely would like to meet while he’s still alive is Mr. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, former President of South Africa. He was an anti-apartheid activist who wrongly spent 27 years of his life in prison. Upon his release in 1990, Mr. Mandela continued his fight and indeed helped to finally break down apartheid in 1994. From 1990 to 1991, the legal apparatus of apartheid was abolished; nevertheless, apartheid truly ended in 1994. His fight has opened my eyes on a lot of things that are still going on around our world…South Africa has been under apartheid (segregation) from 1948, and was dismantled in a series of negotiations from 1990 to 1993, culminating in democratic elections in 1994. I have always been shocked to see in the 90s an African country under segregated rules… Where was the rest of the world to end apartheid over all those years? I guess there was no oil, or any personal interests to gain in South Africa…The fight and long struggle of Mr. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela helped me to understand one thing: in this world we cannot count on governments to provide help. On the contrary, it’s the actions and words from a living & caring man that can change the inequalities of our world.
On theses words, I also pay tribute to these great men and women, who I wish I had the chance to meet:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* My ancestors from Gabon, France, and Italy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 – 1968) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Harriet Tubman (1822 – 1913) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Mahatma Gandhi (1869 – 1948) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Mother Theresa (1910 – 1997) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Steve Bantu Biko (1946 – 1977) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* André Raponda-Walker (1871 – 1968) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Rosa Park (1913 – 2005) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* King Denis Rapontchombo (around 1790 – 1876) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Albert Schweitzer (1875 – 1965) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Abbé Pierre (1912 – Jan. 2007) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Coluche (1944 – 1986) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* Bob Marley (1945 – 1981)
================================================