"There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills..."

We've known for a long time that local protest movements carry an international message. The people here in South Africa gave hope and inspiration to the entire world during their own struggle for political freedom. Yet some of them were surprised when I told them that Nelson Mandela's release from prison was broadcast live on US television on that historic day, 22 years ago.

Then, as now, genuine change seemed like an impossible dream. The apartheid regime had enormous wealth and was backed by some of the world's most powerful corporate interests. The greatest governments in the world, including our own, were more than willing to ignore the regime's worst human rights abuses in order to benefit from its trade. We were told that Nelson Mandela and his colleagues in the African National Congress were terrorists.




(to read the east of the article, click HERE)