Comments for Part 5: Democracy (1990-1994)

Piece image

This piece belongs to the series "Mandela: An Audio History"

Produced by Joe Richman/Radio Diaries, Sue Johnson

Other pieces by Radio Diaries

Summary: Part 5 of a five-part series on South Africa's struggle against apartheid.
 

User image

Review of Part 5: Democracy (1990-1994)

My heart is almost too full for words to find their way to the page. I’ve only heard this last part of the series and can’t wait to hear the whole thing, start to finish. So much resonates from South Africa’s newly birthed democracy to our own aging one. In this episode, the producers brilliantly weave sounds from pivotal moments involving the discussions, negotiations, tribal war, assassination, and finally the election and inauguration. I remember crying as I watched TV coverage of South Africa’s first election, of the long, long lines of people standing in the hot sun. Those powerful images returned while hearing the voices contained in these fabulous twelve minutes of great radio. Timely airing all year, because it’s their government’s tenth anniversary. But also because after the debacle that was our last election, it’s good to be reminded that the right to vote is a precious, hard fought, hard won privilege. Referring to their first election, a male voice, probably that of Desmond Tutu, says: “I wondered to myself, what is it about casting a vote?” What indeed.