I was brought to tears while watching Invictus (with Morgan Freeman as Madiba and Matt Damon as Francois Pienaar). My tears came from elation and grief.
The movie is about how former president Nelson Mandela inspired all of us and winning the 1995 Rugby World Cup. It truly is a must see for all.
My tears of joy came from the elation of our country truly becoming the rainbow nation. After we all united in the euphoria Mandela and the 1995 Rugby World Cup win created.
I cried tears of joy when I was transported back to that moment and that time. We as a nation needed something we could all celebrate and feel pride in ourselves and in our country. That moment was a defining moment in the change that we went through. It will always define the rainbow nation.
Then I started crying tears of grief. Why and how did we come from there and be where we are now? My daily experiences with fellow South Africans are always positive, we are a friendly and generous nation.
We are a diverse mix of cultures and skin tones.
I love all of it, I am a proud citizen and I have always promoted us to the rest of the world. We need to celebrate our differences and be proud again.
We must become, as Madiba did and said, “the shining light in the world”.
We were there before, with the guidance of our “father of the nation”, our most loved and respected hero, the one and only that we call Madiba.
We need to be there again and be our Rainbow Nation.
Watch the film, it is an inspiration. We are still the rainbow nation.