Invictus

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

– William Ernest Henley

Having just watched this movie, let me tell you that it draws a small tear on any South African’s heart who lived through that game. I was not old enough at the time to fully appreciate the game for its important role in our countries regrowth but I have come to understand this now.

All I remember is that after we had won, my parents dragged my brother and I into the car and we went celebrating, pretty much how people do here on the gulf road. It was a time when black and white South Africans danced side by side as one country, for the first time, in peace.

Living outside the country I now really appreciate the little things that make it home. Yes it is a struggling country and a big part of me wishes that the majority of the country could watch this movie and remember what it is that makes it so special. It’s the people, it’s forgiveness and it’s moving forward as one country, one nation, one team. I fear that most South African’s have forgotten the work that the great man Mr Mandela has done for us. Us as a country and us as a nation. He still keeps the peace even though he is not in action any longer.

A great man and a great legend. The poem above is what got Nelson Mandela through 30 years in prison, it is the name sake of the movie and a powerful start to 2010.