Walesa and Mandela honored by Freedom Center

A shipyard electrician and dissident union leader from Gdansk, Poland, Lech Walesa led the revolution of the 1980s that drove communism from his homeland and led to the downfall of the Soviet bloc.

Born into the in the village of Mvezo in 1918, Nelson Mandela led the fight to end the apartheid system of racial segregation in his native South Africa, even though he spent 28 years in prison.

Walesa and Mandela, who both went on to serve as democratically elected presidents of their countries, will be honored Saturday night by the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. They will be the 10th and 11th recipients of the International Freedom Conductor Award, presented periodically since 1998. It recognizes people who "exemplify the values of freedom and human rights worldwide."

The gala Saturday night at the Duke Energy Center is sold out, although other 10th anniversary celebration events will continue Friday through Sunday at the Freedom Center.

Walesa, now 71, will accept his award. Mandela, who died in December, will be represented by his great-grandson Luvuyo Mandela and Sello Hatang, chief executive of the Johannesburg-based Nelson Mandela Foundation.

The Enquirer communicated on email with Walesa through an interpreter and spoke via phone with Luvuyo Mandela and Hatang.

Walesa: `We closedcommunist chapter'

QUESTION: Please describe your thoughts on being honored by the Freedom Center along with Nelson Mandela. Did you ever meet President Mandela? What is your lasting impression of him?

WALESA: Times change. In the past, I would be arrested for what I am being recognized for now by the Freedom Center. So much depends upon the point of view. Polish communists did not appreciate freedom, and I was imprisoned for fighting for it. That is why we, as a nation, closed the communist chapter – with the help of God and the free world.

It is a great honor for an electrician and revolutionary to have received so many recognitions. But it is also an obligation to continue our fight for freedom for all those who still lack it. I share my awards with Solidarity, the multimillion-strong movement in my home country, the movement that triggered a domino effect that led to democratic transformations throughout the communist bloc. Solidarity changed the world, and the world showed solidarity with us.

Freedom is universal, though the circumstances and methods of the fight for it are different. President Mandela and my cases exemplify this. We traveled along different paths, but the paths intersected at so many junctures. What we had in common was our commitment to fight for a better, unsegregated world. We fought for peace, justice, human dignity and human rights.

Nelson Mandela's unbreakable character, faith in victory, and hope for desirable change helped him survive 28 years in prison. Madiba was a courageous and noble human being. He was able to forgive in the name of the common good. He is an exemplary statesman and a man of freedom. We have never met but we both knew what freedom is, we knew what it felt like to be deprived of it, and why freedom is the highest value.

QUESTION: What are your impressions of the Freedom Center as an institution? What lessons can be learned from its story of American slavery, now connecting with issues of contemporary slavery?

WALESA: Dynamic historical changes take place in front of our eyes. Even sometimes we actively participate in these events. While focusing on the present and future, we rarely look back. It is worthwhile, however, to pause as history may teach us important lessons – particularly these painful historical events that we never want to experience again. We need to honor heroes and victims of difficult times. The Freedom Center does this by contributing to building a better future. That is a critical role in this world. Today, in Poland and South Africa, we do not have to engage military force to fight for independence, but that is still the case in many parts of the world.

We have to build a better future wisely - for current and future generations. Let us remember that freedom, democracy, and human rights cannot be taken for granted. We must remember that history has given us a chance and, yes, we have made progress in these critical areas. But if we do not continue our efforts we will pay a heavy price. Now, to the best of our abilities, we have to work to strengthen these fundamental concepts. Much needs to be done in the world when globalization generates new challenges.

We have to ask ourselves how to create a universal value system that can be embraced by different nations, different cultures and different religions. For many years, I have attempted to call for creating such a system that would allow nations, cultures and religions to co-exist and collaborate in understanding and appreciating our differences.

QUESTION: What is your view of the situation involving Russia and the Ukraine?

WALESA: I was on Majdan in 2004 (protests on the central square in Kiev). That time it was hoped that the opposition would unite around the Orange Revolution, the nonviolent Ukrainian movement of 2004, to become a force that will reform Ukraine. I was warning them that this would not be an easy task. ... In Ukraine, it was quickly apparent that instead of nation building, private interests and personal ambitions hijacked the movement. Now, the Ukrainian people are again fighting for their country.

I strongly believe in dialogue and a search for common interests. Empty declarations of help and economic sanctions will not improve the situation. Effective action is needed. I hope that the European nations and the United States will help Ukraine in a more effective way. The Ukranians are people of great courage and great patriotic desire to create a new Ukraine based on democratic principles. They need your help. The critical issue is to keep open dialogue with Russia. I know of people in Russia to talk to. Personally, I see two Putins. The good one was trying to keep some order and unity in a country as large and diverse as Russia. The bad Putin is trying to rebuild an oppressive Russian empire in the mold of the czars, to keep the population under tight control of the central government.

The Ukrainian crisis has exposed the weakness of NATO in responding to Putin's intervention in Ukraine. I hope that Western nations will unite to help Russia become a positive force in the world and a democratic country. We need to help this first Putin by keeping open dialogue with him. At the same time, we need to reject the imperial Putin who would like to recreate the Soviet empire. He needs to understand the global desire of people to live in a peaceful and better world. Let's help Ukraine, let's help Russia to be a part of this better world.

QUESTION: Similarly, what kind of solution might there be for the ongoing problems in Gaza?

WALESA: This conflict is far from Ukraine, but I see a similar lack of an effective world response – the lack of a clear and unified response by the world organizations and, above all, a lack of dialogue. Again, I am a great optimist. I believe in the strength of humanity to find a peaceful solution to all world conflicts, not only in Ukraine and Gaza. ... And again, my advice is dialogue, the need to compromise and talk with your opponents. The Israelis and Palestinians need to find a way to do this.

QUESTION: What can young people learn from what happened in Poland back in the early 1980s?

WALESA: The most universal and important lesson from our Polish experience of the 1980s is Solidarity. The idea of Solidarity is quite simple: if you cannot leave that big stone pressing on you, ask other people to help. Together you will overcome. ... When we started our worker's fight for a better life, we did not expect the unified support of all the Polish people. All of them – workers, intellectuals, young and old, religious and non-religious – joined us in our peaceful fight for a better future. We started from small demands to improve our lives, but when people from all over Poland joined us – altogether 10 million people – we felt our strength and went on to remove the oppressive Communist system. But we were mindful to achieve our goals in a peaceful way. No blood was shed. This is our pride and lesson for others to follow. This peaceful, nonviolent approach formed the basis for successfully transforming Poland into a fast-growing economy and dynamic population. I believe that the world needs Solidarity now!

Nelson Mandela: One oppressed, all oppressed

QUESTION: What has been the response you've received since Nelson Mandela's death?

LUVUYO MANDELA: It was not necessarily more than it had been before. As family and the Nelson Mandela Foundation, we had been quite active. His legacy is not lost. He had taken the responsibility of being the face of the movement, but he knew he was not the end all of the movement. He was modest. He said it was not up to him how future generations should view him.

HATANG: It's up to us to make these decisions on how we will preserve his legacy.

QUESTION: You can't speak for him, but given your relationships with him, how would President Mandela react to being honored by the Freedom Center?

HATANG: He was against the oppression of any person, and any organization that dedicates itself to fighting injustice and building up human beings, he was supportive. He was always humbled and proud to be recognized by these kinds of organizations. One form of oppression was as objectionable to him as any other. And his work was about uplifting people. He said if one person was oppressed, every other person in the world was oppressed and not fully free. There are 27 million people in the world being enslaved and in need of our support. The Freedom Center brings attention to the suffering being brought upon the enslaved and celebrates people who fought against it.

Whenever he received these kinds of honors, the first thing he wanted to know was what difference has that organization made. No doubt the Freedom Center has made a difference worldwide.

MANDELA: As long as people are not free, we must stand up for them. So many people from outside South Africa were involved with liberating us, for us not to participate with them would be a slap in the face. The distance from the United States to South Africa did not stop people from coming here, so it would be unacceptable of us to say the distance is too great for us to come to the United States.

QUESTION: What is it like to have the last name of Mandela?

MANDELA: I don't know any different. I am 28 years old. It is all I have ever known. The name does give me access to platforms I otherwise would not have. The level of self-discipline it requires is great because people have expectations of me because of the name. There are pros and cons. The pride I have in my name is no different than the pride all people have in their names. In Africa, we are brought up not to do anything to bring shame to our famly name. The funny thing for me is that I studied in the United States for six years. (He graduated from Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, in 2009.) My great-grandfather was not taken off the United States' terrorist list until 2009. My last name drew a lot of attention from Homeland Security.

QUESTION: When he looked at the span of his life, what did President Mandela speak of?

MADELA: One of his greatest loves was young people. As much as he became a man who belonged to the world, he was proud that he was born in and came from a small village. And as he said we must be international, he also said we must not forget where we come from. He was born in the Transkei to the Thembu people. He attended primary school in Qunu where his teacher gave him the name Nelson, in accordance with the custom to give all school children "Christian" names. His given first name is Rolihlahla.

QUESTION: Can you describe the mission of the Nelson Mandela Foundation?

HATANG:The mission statement of the Nelson Mandela Foundation is that it contributes to a society which remembers its pasts, listens to all its voices and pursues social justice in order to promote peace, human rights and democracy.

As President Mandela's post-presidential office, it provided the base for his charitable work, covering a wide range of endeavour, from building schools to HIV/AIDS work, to research into education in rural areas to peace and reconciliation interventions. Five years later, the foundation began its transition into an organization focused on memory, dialogue and legacy work. A refurbishment of the foundation's building provided it with an appropriate physical home, the Centre of Memory. The Centre focuses on three areas of work: the life and times of Nelson Mandela, dialogue for social justice and Nelson Mandela International Day.■

PREVIOUS 'CONDUCTORS'

• Rosa Parks, 1998

• Anglican Bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, 2000

• Dorothy I. Height and the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights (Ethel Kennedy accepted), 2003

• Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush, 2007

• The Dalai Lama, 2010

• Author Nicholas Kristof and the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, 2013

WEEKEND EVENTS

The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is celebrating its 10th anniversary this week. Key events:

• Thursday: Family Day at the Freedom Center. General admission price is $14 for adults, $12 for people 60 and older and $10 for children 3-12. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Friday: Museum tours of the Nelson Mandela Exhibit with photojournalist Matthew Willman. General admission prices. Noon to 3 p.m.

• Saturday: useum tours of the Nelson Mandela Exhibit with photojournalist Matthew Willman noon to 3 p.m..... At 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. the center will show "Walesa: Man of Hope" film in the Harriet Tubman Theater free with admission to museum.... From 4-4:45 p.m. the center presents "Journeys: A Black Anthology of Music" with Kathy Wade, Phil DeGreg and Baba Charles Miller.... At 6 p.m. International Freedom Conductor Award Gala at the Duke Energy Convention Center honoring President Lech Walesa of Poland and President Nelson Mandela of South Africa. Mandela will be represented by his family and foundation. Sold out.

• Sunday: The center will be open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. A gospel concert will be at 5 p.m. Free admission.