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indwe magazine – June 2005
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Dear Reader
Letter from the Editor – Deidre Theron-Loots |
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What's in a name? |
“What is in a name,” Romeo asked in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Well, if your name is Nelson Mandela, then clearly “a name” is much more than an object of nomination. In the case of former president Mr Nelson Mandela, his name and signature have long since passed from sign to symbol. And as Carl Gustav Jung reminded us, signs can be created, but a symbol can never be consciously created – it can only be affirmed by the collective unconscious. I do not have to tell you what the name Nelson Mandela symbolises because it symbolises something that is beyond words. What I can tell you is that every true South African guards jealously over the name that has come to symbolise so much to both the oppressor and the oppressed, the black and the white, the rich and the poor, the religious and the non-religious. In light of this, I was shocked to read about the allegations against two of Mr Mandela’s former confidants, who had allegedly forged his signature and embezzled money obtained from selling so-called “Madiba Art,” all under the guise of charitable organisations that also make use of the Mandela name. I trust that the law will take its course and that Mr Mandela’s name will be restored. More than this, though, I pray that his name be kept safe from merciless business people in search of instant riches at the cost of a name to which they can never even begin to aspire. Long live Madiba! Enjoy the flight! Enjoy the read! Deidre |