If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela
Does a bilingual speaker have a mother and father tongue?
Are you an orphan if you prefer to talk tongue-in-cheek?
And I leave you with a plea for my profession:
Being a native speaker is not a profession.
Being a translator is.
anon.
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Our boys’ school organised a millenium parade to remember the past 2000 years – all the children and teachers and many of the parents were dressed as historical figures. Our sons decided on fairly modern men (which made it easy for the costume department, aka: me) whom they admired. Meet Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela:
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[Disclaimer: The photos have been photographed from prints.]
I had lived in South Africa for a couple of years when I went back home to visit my mother and walking about our old town with its medieval towers and the baroque castle and the 1000-year- old castle ruin on the hill I suddenly realised that in Johannesburg the oldest building I could come across was barely 50 years old. Whereas in my old home history seemed to stare at me from every corner, my new home seemed devoid of it.
Which is of course, the wrong definition of history. I saw the height of the fight against apartheid, I saw the end of this terrible system (even helped in the tiniest amount – I served tea to a few of the protagonists). I lived through history. Today, this is history. So much so that a statue of one of the heroes of the time, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, stands surrounded by gravestones and garden ornaments in the lot of a stonemason in a little town in the Odenwald and is instantly recognised.
The Ragtag Daily Prompt: History.
If you have seen the movie Invictus you know the significance of the South African no. 7 shirt at the Rugby World Cup 1995 and what it meant for the South African nation in general, and Nelson Mandela in particular. This photo was taken at the RWC twenty years later when Francois Piennar (the captain of the Springbok team in 1995 and wearer of the no.7) was inducted in the World Rugby Hall of Fame. I was high up but I caught a glimpse of Piennar and the huge screen showed him as well.
Nelson Mandela’s autobiography is called Long Walk to Freedom, and he was certainly a man who wanted to be free, who gained his freedom, so other people would be free.
“I would like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free… so other people would be also free.
Rosa Parks
Click here to find more photos inspired by Rosa Parks’ quote on Travel with Intent.
“Let freedom reign. The sun never set on so glorious a human achievement.”
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela
20 years ago, the school held a millennium parade. The children had to dress up as figures from history.
Martin Luther King and Madiba Nelson Mandela were present.
Freedom seemed so close then.
Linked to Travel with Intent. More photos inspired by Madiba’s quote can be found here.
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