My story

[mahnmut]

I probably should have written this long time ago...

So many of my LJ friends have written something remarkable in the last days that I stand in awe... So I thought that I might write something interesting about myself as well. And what could it be, if not my own personal story. The story of my life, of my family and its history.
I will start with

Comments

[myriad_mirrors]

Whew. What a story. I'm going to have to read it a second time before even commenting.

[airiefairie]

It is good that you finally decided to share your story with the rest. I am sure that it will help you to drop down some misconceptions about you. Of course I knew most of it...not in big detail but...you have an amazing history!
And Eddy Grant is a God! =)

[alphistia]

you come from "Good People" as my mom and grandma used to say. How about a photo or two of yourself and some of your loved ones? Or a 10 hour miniseries co-produced by the BBC SABC and TV Veronica ;-) Would be interesting to see!

[mahnmut]

You know, I should have expected a similar response at some point.

[mahnmut]

Here. My most loved ones. Left to right: me, my gf Karen, brother Ralf, his wife Simona, my mom, my dad, my nephew Frank, and my best friend Arend with gf Alex. Durban, 2007.

[abomvubuso]

I've always said that Karen is dammmmn hot :]
And Alexandra too!

This was inspiring!

[myriad_mirrors]

Ok. I read over the post again and I'm still blown away. What a powerful and moving past for you and your father. He was wise enough to know when to leave and strong enough to fight when he thought it best.
It is excellent that you have found a beautiful woman to be with and have gone to the country you wanted to live in.
Bet the sociology background gives you insight into the situation there.

Re: This was inspiring!

[mahnmut]

Yeah... sociology makes me think I know something about people but it's actually just an illusion that I have ;-)

WOW! WOW! WOW!

[ramsesthesecond]

this is one of the best days of my life and it is even getting better what an inspiring heroic story.
South Africa became a great nation today because of all the struggle in the past, for all the suffering your dad, Family and leaders of ANC did.
Wow this is really indescribable. your dad almost sacrificed his life for a cause he believed in this is an idol for every one of us.
coming back to South Africa is a great achievement I am so happy to know that you followed your heart and made what you wanted. your family is one big story of a South African gallery that started by pain and ended by freedom
I wish you all luck in your life and whatever you decide to do next and especially with making a family, I am sure you have lots of stories to tell to your son /daughter.
after all I know the honor of any organization just seeing how does it treat its heroes, being a member of ANC is the least thing after all the efforts your family did for the sake of a free SA

[mahnmut]

Oh take it easy if there's someone we should talk of as a hero it is not me. My biggest heroism in life so far has been when I told Karen that I love her :-))

ANC has drawn a lot of criticism lately because it is slowly turning into what it was fighting against: self-sufficient, over-fed, corrupt autocracy who think they can rest on their old laurels forever. Well they're mistaken. It took a generation to defeat white supremacy, if it'll take another one to defeat black totalitarianism, I'm ready to go for it. Maybe it won't hurt them to hear one or two different opinions especially from inside their own party, and that's what I've been doing at ANCYL, if only at a local level in my university.

[ramsesthesecond]

when I told Karen that I love her :-))
believe me this is more brave than any thing I have ever seen!
It is so sad that most of good organizations loose its real meaning with time and turn to a bad copy of the evil it was trying to face in the first place.

here the democratic party (now headed by Mubarak) was established in 1908 to face dictatorship in Egypt but now it just became the same evil!

[abomvubuso]

"a bad copy of the evil it was trying to face"
-- I loved that.