As you know, the old age African saying,
"If you wanna go fast, you go alone,
but if you wanna go far, we go together."
You know my favorite African saying is?
What?
If you think you're too small to do something,
you've never spent a night with a mosquito.
(laughs)
That's a good one, that's a good one.
When you were the grandson
of Nelson Mandela, you walk in the shadow of a giant,
but Ndaba Mandela is creating his own path
as a leader and advocate.
Ndaba Mandela, thank you so much
for coming all the way from South Africa
to our studio here in New York city.
It's a pleasure and an honor.
What is it that you're here
that you would like to share with us?
Today I would like to share my story with you,
a message of love, peace, and unity.
You don't have to worry about the Coronavirus,
we will get over it.
We will continue to impact the world
and inspiring young people to unite
and build a better world.
Nelson Mandela
was South Africa's first democratically elected president.
The father of the Rainbow nation
was a civil rights icon, who spent 27 years
of his life behind bars, fighting for equal rights
against South Africa's inhumane apartheid regime,
which prided itself on extreme separation of white,
black and brown citizens.
We have made it very clear in our policy
that South Africa is a country of many races.
There is room for all the various races in this country.
Under the harsh apartheid regime
which began in 1948, the darker your skin color
meant the worst quality of life you had.
Nelson Mandela and other
South African civil rights leaders fought
to end this injustice.
And in 1964, Mandela and many of his comrades
in the African National Congress
were sentenced to life in prison
by the apartheid regime for conspiracy
to overthrow the government.
From 1964 to 1982, they were locked inside
the brutal Robben Island Prison, off the coast of Cape town.
My grandfather truly believed in humanity,
didn't care about race, color, or creed.
In Robben Island, there was a rule
that was set for him specifically.
My grandfather taught himself
and became fluent in reading and writing Afrikaans,
the language of the enemy.
One of the things he says is,
"In order to defeat your enemy,
you must work with your enemy,
because then he becomes your partner
and maybe even your friend at a later stage."
When the wardens, right, would receive letters
from their loved ones, some of them came straight
out of high school, they were young men,
they couldn't interpret what
the hardcore straight language from their parents was.
So Mandela would take those letters
and actually translate it for the warden.
And the warden would be so touched
that he would smuggle an extra couple of slices
of bread for Mandela, an extra blanket for Mandela,
maybe a newspaper for Mandela, whatever the case may be.
And when the authorities would find that out,
they would be so mad, right?
That they would change the guard immediately.
Even when they changed the next guard,
Mandela would find a way to connect to that guard, right?
And the same thing would end up happening.
So they had to put a rule that no guard
on Robben Island could guard Nelson Mandela
for more than three months at a time.
Between 1982 and 1988,
Mandela and some of his ANC comrades
were moved from Robben Island to Pollsmoor Prison
in Cape town.
But by 1988, Mandela was moved again in the city
but inside Victor Verster Prison,
which was a home that was surrounded by guards.
It was during his stay here where
he first met his eight year old grandson, Ndaba.
So my parents told me,
"We're going to visit your grandfather in jail."
And so as an eight year old,
I had a typical image of what the jail was like,
you know, concrete bars, cops, wardens, etc.
But when we got there, it was a normal house.
They were trying to break them down mentally.
To say,
"Nelson Mandela, you're an old man now.
How about you spend the rest of your days
away from political life with your family
enjoying these days, and we will make sure
that you live the rest of your life in luxury.
But you need to denounce your organization with the ANC,
you need to denounce your (mumbles) you're working with."
And of course we know Nelson Mandela never caved in.
So when I got there, there was a swimming pool.
I never had a swimming pool at home, right?
I met a chef for the very first time,
I never knew what a chef was,
we had the most amazing food,
And of course we met the man himself,
and he was so happy and proud to meet us.
And that was the first time I had an idea,
I was inspired.
That moment I said,
"I wanna be like this man, I wanna go to jail."
Because I thought this was jail.
So it wasn't, I wasn't gonna be a leader,
It wasn't, I'm not gonna be a fireman, it was,
"I'm gonna go." I'm going to jail
so I can live like this man.
And the crowd getting excited.
There's Mr Mandela, Mr. Nelson Mandela,
a free man taking his first steps into a new South Africa."
In February 1990,
Nelson Mandela was released from prison
after long negotiations with the apartheid government.
And a salute from Mr. Nelson Mandela,
his wife Winnie, greeting the people outside
the fences of the Victor Verster Prison.
This year is a very special year
because it's 30 years since Madiba
was released from prison,
you know, 27 years behind bars.
Where were you in the exact moment, in February of 1990
when he walked out and he's got his fist in the air,
where were you?
What was that moment like for you?
I was right there my friend.
Oh wow. I was right there my friend,
I was right there in my man.
You know, my first was in the air my friend,
do you understand what I'm saying?
I was just in awe seeing so many people celebrating
the release of this man.
Aunties, babies, cats and dogs were in the streets dancing.
The world was dancing, it was a great moment,
not just for South Africa,
but for the world to see justice prevail, you know?
It was an amazing moment,
so when you see moments like this, how can you not
be an optimist? I have fought
very firmly against white domination,
I have fought very firmly against black domination,
I cherish the idea of a new South Africa.
In 1994,
Nelson Mandela was elected president of South Africa.
(crowd claps and cheers)
When Ndaba was 11, he moved in with his grandfather
who was serving his only term in office.
We moved in when I was 11 years old
and you know, the first couple of years
we didn't really have a grandfather,
we didn't go for walks in the park,
we didn't go watch movies or go bowling, right?
Because he's the president,
he's up and down doing his work.
But whenever we did have an opportunity to share a meal,
you know, dinner or lunch,
he would actually talk to me and say,
"Ndaba, you must never drive a Jaguar
because people will know you have money."
To him, humility was an absolute,
you know, pinpoint character that all leaders must have.
You cannot lead if you do not have education.
You cannot lead if you are all about yourself.
A leader is about serving the community,
standing up for those who cannot stand for themselves,
being a voice for those who are marginalized
in the community.
So my grandfather was a really a loving man
and he was so in touch with humanity and loved children.
You know, we asked him once,
"What was the one thing that you missed
all those years you spent in jail?"
And he said,
"All those times I spent in jail,
I never heard the sound of children."
Children represent a new beginning,
they represent hope for a better future.
Now Ndaba is spreading
the lessons He learned from his grandfather.
I released a book in 2018 called
"Going to the Mountain: Life Lessons from My Grandfather"
And I wrote that, you know, particularly for young people
because you know, yes, he's a president,
yes, he was revolutionary,
but how can we make sure that young people,
you know, relate to Nelson Mandela?
Which leads me to the next thing,
we've created a leadership program
that we call " The 100 Mandela's",
where we wanna take young people
between the ages of 25 to 35, to bring them
to South Africa, to walk in the footsteps
of Nelson Mandela, to teach them the values
of Nelson Mandela and so that they can lead
with the spirit of Nelson Mandela
when they go back to their respective community
and start or continue with their own social enterprises
that they've already begun.
So explain to me what is
the Mandela Research Institute for Humanity,
and why is it important for you
to have a footprint here in America?
The Mandela Institute for Humanity.
We have decided to have a presence here
in New York to be closer to the decision makers.
I have been working in this space
for the past 10 years with our organization
in South Africa called "Africa rising".
And we realize that it would be much more beneficial
for us to be at the center where everything gets made.
We understand that what we are working on
is not just an African issue, but it's a global issue.
And why not be closer to the people
that make decisions at the very top.
Now you mentioned Africa Rising, explain that to me.
What is that charity?
So Africa Rising was born in 2010,
and that basically came out of me realizing
that the world really has very limited knowledge on Africa.
Most of the information that is perpetuated
by mainstream media, that Africa is a place of war,
poverty, disease and dictators.
And so we wanted to be able to be in a position
to break down those misconceptions,
give young Africans a sense of pride and purpose
and a heightened sense of belonging
to the African continent.
To say I'm an African
I know what it means to be an African
and I am proud of it.
We want young Africans to be the forefront
of Africa's development.
Not that the development taking place
should benefit those multinational corporations
that have been doing this thing for so many years.
We want our people to have self determination
and more importantly to be able to break
the cycle of poverty that exists
and Africa to take its rightful place
in the global arena.
Of all causes Ndaba Mandela is spearheading,
none is more important to him than eradicating HIV & AIDS.
It's an epidemic that took away both my parents,
it's an epidemic that has created
a generation of child headed households across Africa.
So we are saying that we have the medicine,
we have the technology, all we need to now do
is to take the home testing kits,
distribute them across rural communities
so people have knowledge of what their status is
in order for them to get the medicine,
so that they can stop the transmission of this disease.
Once you stop the transmission of this disease,
you have effectively ended HIV/AIDS.
15 years ago I was in South Africa studying abroad
when your grandfather came on television
to address the nation about
your father passing away of AIDS.
It was a watershed moment for me as a student
because the entire country stopped
what they were doing in their tracks.
Radios, televisions, everywhere you went,
everyone was frozen to watch him come out of retirement
and address this country about this disease.
When he spoke and when he addressed it,
suddenly the stigma or the idea of
what AIDS is across Africa began
to change. And that's why
we have called you today,
to announce that my son has died of AIDS.
We had a discussion with the family
to discuss what we'd tell the world.
And one of my cousins suggested that we talk about,
"Oh, HIV it doesn't kill you, it kills
your immune system, so AIDS didn't kill him,
it was TB, et cetera, et cetera."
My grandfather said,
"No, we shall not do that, we shall simply say,
his life was taken by HIV&AIDS, full stop.
We need to tackle this disease head on,
we need to stop hiding behind other things."
And it was the first time that a prominent family
in South Africa, probably across the continent
had disclosed the true reason
of why one of their loved ones had died.
And I am very lucky to have been able
to work with United Nations HIV and AIDS
as their local ambassador, going to Brazil
during the World Cup, Russia,
you know, different parts of the world
talking about HIV/AIDS to the most affected people.
To orphanages, to sex workers, to different,
you know, people of different sexual orientations.
To let people know that we are all
at the end of the day part
of the same human family. Viva Nelson Mandela viva!
Do you believe in your lifetime
this disease could be eradicated?
I believe the 2030 target that has been set
by the United Nations can be achieved
if we all come work together.
Why in 2020 is this still a thing?
Why is AIDS still a massive topic of conversation?
That is because there is still the stigma
that exists on HIV/AIDS.
People are still scared to get tested
to find out whether they have HIV/AIDS or not.
And so when you have 6,000 people still being affected
by HIV/AIDS around the world,
you know, one of the scariest statistic for America
to bring it here at home in America,
a black gay man in America has a one in two chance
of contracting HIV/AIDS in their lifetime.
That's the current stat, one in two.
It's insane, right?
So AIDS is not over, a lot of people think
we've defeated this disease, it's not.
There are approximately 7 million people in South Africa
who are living with HIV/AIDS and don't know it.
We need to continue fighting this disease,
we just have to continue talking, engaging
with the young people until the end man,
until it goes down to zero.
During our interview,
the Coronavirus epidemic was beginning
to take shape in America.
Two weeks after we spoke,
Ndaba Mandela was diagnosed with COVID-19.
Much like his grandfather,
he used his platform to spread awareness.
Now, ladies and gentlemen, Corona is here,
I myself have Corona.
And there's been a lot of talk and a lot
of people wondering whether this thing
is true or not.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, I am a witness.
I have been affected and I have contracted
this Coronavirus, so we have
to be responsible ladies and gentlemen.
Well, it is a little bit scary, you know, to be honest.
Now you have the Coronavirus, you have bad leadership.
You know, you have a number of challenges
in the world today.
And so for me, being a proud African,
that is the point of view that I always teach my children,
you know, to be proud, to never be scared,
to challenge themselves even.
I believe that there's a positive
and a negative in every situation.
With this virus right now, right?
We're all scrambling,
"Hey, we need to get that (mumbles),
you know, you need to wash our hands like you said."
It provides an opportunity for us to come together
to decide how are we gonna defeat this Coronavirus
and to work across different borders.
Italy is in crisis right now,
it's growing expensive in England, France, you name it.
So we are gonna be forced as doctors
around the world, to come together to discuss
what is the best practice on fighting this disease?
Through his transmissions
on social media, Ndabo remained calm and collected
and urged the rest of his country in doing
the same to fight COVID-19.
Like all the causes he spearheads,
he wishes for others to follow his lead
and create their own path.
Do you ever see yourself running
for president of your country?
I believe that when the time comes to step up,
I will step up.
For the children watching at home,
what is your message to them?
I wanna say to the young people out there,
it all begins with a dream.
I want you to dream so big, let your dream scare you.
If your dreams don't scare you,
you are not dreaming big enough.
Once you have your dream,
you can start working at it step by step, day by day.
Don't forget to celebrate the small achievements
that you get along the way.
Set yourself milestones, have yourself a mentor.
Surround yourself by people that love and guide you,
who want to see you succeed.
You are the master of your destiny.
Working together there is nothing that we cannot achieve.
So let's go out there, ladies and gentlemen
and let us be the best that we can be.
Love and respect will take us all the way.