Out of Soweto

Apartheid.

Nelson Mandela may or may not be on his death bed, but the discussion of his legacy and the huge undertaking of forging ahead without him has already begun.  From 1948 to 1994 South Africa was under a government-run system of racial segregation rooted in colonialism and the slave trade.  In the 1990's Nelson Mandela was elected president and an era of relative peace began.  However, for all that has been done to abolish apartheid, an entrenched system of economic injustice and personally held racism still remains.  What will happen to the people of South Africa without their iconic leader?  Will they be able to move forward with grace and dignity or will they descend, as so often happens when leadership changes into in fighting and lack of vision?  Let us hope that Mandela has had the wisdom to be clear about his vision for the future and has left a legacy of like-minded and well-regarded friends and colleagues in his stead.