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Mama Adelaide Frances Matlala Tambo, a great patriot.
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SendMeYourNews
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Feb 09, 2007 11:21 PST
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"The culture of a people is best manifested by the homage they pay to
those who led with dedication and devotion to freedom and cause.":
Carlos A. Cooks, Ideological Son of Marcus Mosiah Garvey.
http://www.TheBlackList.net/carloscooks.htm
]]]]]
CULLED FROM:
ANC Today
Volume 7, No. 5 . 9-15 February 2007
ADELAIDE TAMBO: An activist for compassion and humanity
Thousands are expected to gather in Wattville, Ekurhuleni, this Saturday to
pay their last respects to Adelaide Frances Matlala Tambo, a great patriot,
freedom fighter and outstanding human being.
Since she passed away on the evening of Wednesdy, 31 January, many have paid
tribute to Mama Tambo. Many have spoken about how they remember her and
about the many ways in which she touched their lives. Some have described
her as a symbol of hope and strength to many within our movement and among
our people. They have spoken of a caring and compassionate human being with
a profound sense of concern for all those oppressed and exploited.
This is not mere flattery or an embellishment meant to lessen the sense of
loss that we all feel. On the contrary, these tributes have been honest and
heartfelt, painting a moving portrait of someone who made such a great
impact on so many people.
Mama Tambo was an activist. From an early age she vowed to dedicate her life
to the fight against discrimination, oppression and human suffering. As a
teenager she became politically active in the ANC, at a time when Congress
was itself becoming more militant and assertive.
As an early recruit to the fledgling ANC Youth League, the young Adelaide
Tshukudu excelled as an organiser and a leader and a unifier. The qualities
she demonstrated during her early years of political activity were to remain
an integral part of her character throughout her involvement in the
liberation struggle.
In over six decades in the movement, her determination to see a free South
Africa never wavered. Nor did she ever doubt her conviction that the people
of this country would be able to defeat the evils of racism and sexism. She
remained steadfast in her beliefs, and resolute in her actions. She was, in
all instances, prepared to serve the cause of freedom, in whatever capacity
was required, and regardless of the sacrifices demanded of her.
Together with her husband and life-long comrade, the late ANC President
Oliver Tambo, Adelaide Tambo was called upon to bear the burden of
dislocation and exile and the disruption of family life. She bore such
hardships with fortitude, knowing that her family's circumstances were not
unlike the experiences of thousands of our people whose family members were
in exile, in prison or in the underground. Like so many of our people, she
understood the devastating effects of migrant labour and the bantustans.
During the years of illegality, her home in London became a welcome refuge
for many of our people weary from the trials and tribulations of life in
exile. She understood that the struggle for democracy in South Africa was
part of a broader struggle for global peace and development, and could not
be separated from the liberation of all the peoples of Africa from the
ravages of colonialism and imperialism. This explains her internationalist
perspective, and her participation in African and international progressive
movements.
She was an outspoken and consistent activist for the liberation of women.
She fought to assert the central role of women within the organs of the
liberation movement and in the struggle more broadly. She envisaged a
society free from the shackles of gender discrimination and the oppression
of women.
Just as she had become a symbol of hope and courage in exile, so her return
to South Africa at the side of Oliver Tambo was as much a cause for personal
celebration as a signal to the South African people that the hour of
liberation was at hand.
After 30 years the return home to South Africa was a moment of triumph and
jubilation. Yet it demanded that the struggle be sustained and masses
mobilised towards the achievement of the democratic breakthrough. This was
an undertaking to which both Adelaide and Oliver Tambo, even then, dedicated
their energies.
Mama Tambo made no distinction between the political and personal realm. Her
political convictions found resonance in her personal life and in how she
related to people. They found resonance in her everyday interactions, in her
tireless efforts to comfort others and alleviate pain and suffering wherever
she encountered it.
At the same time, her everyday encounters also impacted on her political
convictions, lending an abiding sense of compassion and humanity to all her
political activity.
Hers was not a cold, calculating politics. It was not a politics of great
theoretical treatises. Hers was not a politics practiced on the great
platforms of the world, or in the corridors of power.
Hers was a politics practiced on the streets, among the people. It was a
politics that spoke to the most basic needs of people - and not merely to
their material needs, but also to their emotional and spiritual needs. That
is why she was so loved by so many. And that is why her loss has been so
keenly felt.
Since her death, many people have paid tribute to Adelaide Tambo. Their
words and prayers have helped to soothe the pain of this loss. Together
these tributes have provided a compelling portrait of a young girl from
Vereeniging whose deeply-felt sense of justice kindled a lifetime of
struggle and helped shape the course of a nation.
This issue of ANC Today is available from the ANC web site at:
http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/anctoday/2007/at05.htm
To receive ANC Today free of charge by e-mail each week go to:
http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/anctoday/subscribe.html
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http://lists.anc.org.za/mailman/listinfo/anctoday
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