ishings were only available to a select group of individuals. Only the educated heard about him, and they were the minority. He was the first to have ideas like he did, and it was difficult to know what to think of him Four centuries later, information is easily accessible, and even the illiterate can listen to the radio, or watch a television. When Nelson Mandela launched his crusade against apartheid, not only were the South Africans aware of it, they knew enough to participate and encourage it. Other countries were aware of what was going on, and Voltaire could never have had that opportunity. Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison, and the day he was released, it was on every major television network, as well, it was publicized in worldwide newspapers. Mandela lives in a time that opinions do not need to be disguised in prose or poem.Today the majority of South Africans - black and white - recognize that apartheid has no future. It has to be ended by our own decisive mass action in order to build peace and security. The mass campaigns of defiance and other actions of our organizations can only culminate in the establishment of democracy . . There must be an end to white monopoly of political power and a fundamental restructuring of our political and economic systems to ensure that the inequalities of apartheid are addressed and our society throughout democratized. Our struggle has reached a decisive moment. We call on our people to seize this moment so that the process towards democracy is rapid and uninterrupted. We have waited too long for our freedom. We can no longer wait. Now is the time to intensify the struggle on all fronts. To relax our efforts now would be a mistake which generations to come will not be able to forgive. The sight of freedom looming on the horizon should encourage us to redouble our efforts. It is only through disciplined mass action that our victory can be assured. We call on our whit...
