“I came across few whites as a boy at Qunu. The local magistrate, of course, was white, as was the nearest shopkeeper. Occasionally, white travelers or policemen passed through our area. These whites appeared as grand as gods to me, and I was aware that they were to be treated with a mixture of fear and respect.”
Image credits: John Mathew Smith 2001,”From Wash D.C. Longworth building October 4, 1994. Mandela’s first trip to the United States.”,CC BY-SA 2.0,Nelson Mandela 1994 – Nelson Mandela – Wikipedia
- July 18, 1918 – December 5, 2013
- Born in South Africa
- Politician, lawyer
- The first black president of South Africa, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for abolishing apartheid and building a democratic South Africa where multiple ethnic groups coexist.
Quote
“I came across few whites as a boy at Qunu. The local magistrate, of course, was white, as was the nearest shopkeeper. Occasionally, white travelers or policemen passed through our area. These whites appeared as grand as gods to me, and I was aware that they were to be treated with a mixture of fear and respect.”
Explanation
This quote reflects Nelson Mandela’s early experiences growing up in Qunu, a small village in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, where he encountered racial inequality at a very young age. Raised in a rural, mostly black African community, Mandela’s interactions with white people were minimal, yet the few he encountered were seen as symbols of power and authority. The mention of the local magistrate and the shopkeeper—both white—highlights the deeply entrenched racial hierarchy of apartheid, where white South Africans held most positions of social and political control.
As a child, Mandela’s understanding of the relationship between black South Africans and whites was shaped by the colonial system, which required black people to show deference to white authority figures. The statement that these whites appeared “as grand as gods” reflects the psychological impact of colonialism on Mandela and many others. Whites were not just seen as superior in terms of social status but were also imbued with an almost divine level of awe and fear. This was a result of the racially stratified society in which blacks were taught to revere and fear whites, a dynamic that maintained the power imbalance in apartheid-era South Africa.
This experience also underscores the psychological effects of apartheid on both the oppressor and the oppressed. For Mandela, these early encounters with whiteness left an indelible mark on his conception of justice and equality. Later in life, he would seek to dismantle the system of racial domination that had conditioned him to view white people as infallible figures of authority. His own transformation from a boy who feared and respected whites to a leader who would defy their rule is a central theme in his life and the history of South Africa’s liberation movement. In modern times, this quote serves as a reminder of the psychological and societal impacts of colonialism and racial inequality, showing how such systems can shape people’s worldview from a young age.
