7 December 2013
Last night I joined the hundreds outside South Africa House to sing, to dance, to mourn and to celebrate the life and extraordinary person Nelson Mandela.
At the door to South Africa House in Trafalgar Square flowers, candles and messages to Nelson Mandela. In front of the flowers people danced, clapped and joined in the continuous beautiful songs sung by a large and growing group of men and women.
On the way home I passed a busker with his guitar outside Charing Cross Station he called out ‘Madiba this one is for you’ many people stopped rushing for their trains and stood still, some sang along, some gently smiled, some danced or swayed as he sung Bob Marley’s One Love.
In 2010 my talented cousin John Gardner created a large bronze sculpture of Nelson Mandela from life, now in Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens in Cape Town.