AFRICAN STUDENTS PROCESS FOR MANDELA

More than 200 African students from 23 African Universities have held a candle procession in honour of late freedom advocate, Nelson Madiba Mandela of South Africa (SA).

The candle procession was organized by Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), SA in partnership with University of Calabar (Unical).

The demise of President Mandela coincided with the Pan African Universities Debate Championship as the students who were already gathered over the weekend for the debate took out sometime after the Semi Final round off the competition to honour the Pan Africanist. One of the students, Tom Bisi from TUT, SA spoke with our correspondent. She said: “We feel sad that while we were aware for a patriotic business, we lost our father. We received the news early hours of Thursday with shock. May his soul rest in peace.

The candle procession which held in Unical started from the University Satellite Town Gate. The students formed a long line and held candles on their hands. The match was led by two students from TUT, SA who held South African flag with an inscription: “In remembrance of Madiba Mandela. Presented by Tshwane University of Technology to the University of Calabar, Nigeria”.

Some of the students held placards with inscriptions: “Adeiu the freedom fighter”; “rest in peace Madiba” etc.

The African Students were chanting songs in different languages as the match was on. When the Nigerian students took over, they chanted songs like:“papa no dey o, mama no dey o, if you want to kill me, kill me make i die, i will never follow you to that station”; Others chorused.

“Nelson’s life stories have taught me that freedom is a product of sacrifice and if we must be liberated from economic bondage masterminded by the west against Africa, we must pay a sacrifice for it”, said Thosi Mbawa, a post graduate student of TUT, SA.

To Chuki Mbossakiya, “the death of Mandela is a great loss to Africa. We are mourning his death with grief in our hearts because we have lost a father whose change theories have affected Africa”. Another student, Madiwe Chikadibia from Nigeria told our correspondent that “late Madiba is a man of the people. We have come together as African youths with one spirit, voice and oration to pay a unified respect to him”.

As African youths, we have a duty to stick to the deep-sinking beliefs of our compatriots”, were the words of Cossy Chief from University of Botswana. He continued: “Madiba is a man whose life’s submissions have impacted in Africa and Africans in general. We took it upon ourselves as a duty to honour this great man because we are youths who have generally benefited from his freedom fights”.

At the end of procession, the students gathered at the entrance of Unical Hotel where students from Nigeria, Botswana and SA gave individual dirges in honour of Late Mandela.