Today’s world demands we uphold values Nelson Mandela stood for

It has been said that the world was unlikely to see people like Nelson Mandela again. The former South African leader, who passed on last Thursday, was revered around the world not just for his selfless, peaceful campaign against apartheid and how he managed its aftermath, but also for his humility in his public life before and after he famously rose to the presidency in 1994. In interviews, Mandela, also affectionately known as Madiba, said he wanted the world to remember him as a person who did what he ought to.He was a leader long before he became the first post-Apartheid South African president; he always exhibited leadership traits even during the 18 years he was imprisoned in terrible conditions on Robben Island and later nine more on the mainland.He’s everything you want to see in a leader. It’s sad that the world is in a serious deficit of personalities like Mandela, especially in leadership circles, at a time when humanity is faced with enormous challenges, ranging from diminishing resources and military confrontations, to global warming and failing health care systems.Great leaders start with small steps. They start by fighting evil in their communities and working to unite and develop their people. They care about the safety and wellbeing of neighbours and do everything within their means to help create a better world. These are the values that characterised Mandela throughout the 95 years of his life.In Rwanda, we have had our fair share of an awful past. Only a handful of countries in the world have probably experienced the kind of genocide that this country suffered nearly 20 years ago.Yet, today, Rwandans are increasingly becoming a proud lot. We are turning a corner in almost all aspects of life. Indeed, much of Africa is witnessing unprecedented transformation. We need leaders who will leave an indelible mark on the lives of their countrymen. Leaders who spend sleepless nights strategising how best they can help lift more of their people out of poverty, get the youth into jobs, heal those who still nurse the wounds of the past, and build a better, healthier future.It is such initiatives as Ndi Umunyarwanda, Girinka, Hanga Umurimo and Agaciro Development Fund that change the course of a country and a people.Across the world, people need to hope for the future. They need to see their leaders advancing the same values that Mandela and other departed heroes stood for.

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Today’s world demands we uphold values Nelson Mandela stood for