A bit on Graca, Graca Machel-Mandela.

I have always been in awe of Graca Machel. Did you know she is the only woman in the world to have been First Lady of two different countries?  Now that's BAWSS! The woman's standards are high neh?

I always wonder how this woman who has been married to intellectual, eligible men like Samora Machel and Nelson Mandela was. It surely isn't just her gorgeous self that piques the interest of Statesmen.

Mara we all see how gracious she is...her poise, her smile that is neither fake nor over-excited. This woman is extremely well composed. As her name implies neh? Graca is 'grace' / 'mercy' in Portuguese.

Born in 1945 in Mozambique to a Methodist minister's family, her fatherunfortunately died three weeks before her birth. She grew up in the grim realities that face the people of Mozambique to this day. Her father had insisted that her siblings ensure his last of six kids goes to school.

In '68, a Methodist Church bursary sent the young lady off to the University of Lisbon where she studied Romance languages. So she is fluent in Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese. (Do you know learning a new language grows your brain?)
So this is a smart woman too. She became very political, came home, joined FRELIMO( the Marxist-based Mozambican Liberation Front). She underwent tough military training and to this day can take a rifle apart and put it back together fast. It is after this training that she met Samora Machel. However, soon after, she was sent off to Tanzania to head the FRELIMO school. 

Samora Machel became president of Mozambique in 1975 and soon after married this amazing woman. He had 5 kids from his previous marriage and 2 with Graca. With her teaching experience and education, she became the Minister of Education and managed to imporove the literacy rate of Mozambique to about 72%. These efforts were however set aside when Southern Africa had its biggest drought between '79 and '81. This was closely followed by the rise of an anti government regime, RENAMO, which further made it harder for her to achieve her dream of educating her people.



Devastated at her husband's funeral

On October 19, 1986, Graca's world was turned into turmoil when her husband was tragically killed in a plane crash.
'His death was so unexpected, and it was in such a violent way.' she said.
She quit her job as Minister of Education. She became involved in other Education driven projects and foundations, the UN and a whole lotta other clever things that I'll list at the end of this.

Of course she and Nelson Mandela were familiar with each other by now. When Oliver Tambo died, he passed on his godfather position for the Machel kids to Nelson Mandela. The friendship between the two Greats deepened here. Their mutual desire to improve the lives of all African children brought them even closer and they started seeing each other more on visits to charity functions.  In 1998, on his 80th birthday, Nelson Mandela married Graca. 
I wonder how a conversation with her would be. I don't even wanna be the converser...I don't have the minimal smartness to be in that position. Although,being that smart, I bet she has a funny bone and is not always tuned in to 'Extreme Smart'. Wow...what a woman.

The Mandela saga. yhuuuuu!!!

Yhuu guys! Did you hear Mandla Mandela yesterday? Tjooo! How can someone say such deep stuff juring THE WHOLE WORLD???
Yooooo! That was the outburst of all outbursts of all time!!!

Just yesterday, my uncle was pleading with me to practise restraint in the situation I'm in. When I'm hurt I can yap! I told him its unfair that I am taught how to react so as to keep things 'comfortable' for whoever hurt me. Now I get what he meant, Mandla's the perfect example of what outburst can do to one. Who will listen to him after behaving like an irate child?

Ok, those of you who aren't aware of what happened this is it:
Mandla Mandela, the grandson of Tata Mandela, had in 2011 exhumed the remains of his father, Makgato Mandela, his aunt who died in infancy, Makaziwe and his other other uncle, Thembi who died in a car accident. He had moved them to his village Mvezo, where Tata was born. They were coming from Qunu, where Tata grew up and still lives.
Why its a big deal where they're buried is because Tata wants to be buried with his kids.
Why that matters is wherever Mandela will be buried, there'll be a museum and that means money for bosso. Sooo...Makaziwe, Mandla's living aunt and his brother Mbuso have now taken him to court to bring the bodies back. He refused. So the court went and took them. I tell you they had to break the gate locks to gain entrance. World cameras around and all! Drama!

Anyway, the bodies were exhumed and tested to make sure they're the right ones and then reburied in Qunu. Okaaay, Mandla had said he'll hold a press conference to tell his side of the story on why he had exhumed the bodies in the first place. Okay.

So you know the world media is here mos. Like...they're not even gon get it 2nd hand...live they're here!
Mandla calls the press and starts talking!
Tjoooooo!!!What came out :-o

Mkaaaay! Mandla SAYS:
He says Mbuso and his aunt's reasons for wanting the graves exhumed nowwww are curious and reminded us that they were still embroiled in a court order fighting to control his grandfather's assets. Eisshhh...so sad
Anyway, he brought up the paternity issue of his son that came out last-yearish and then died down. Yep. He says Mbuso, his brother fathered his son with the exotic woman from Reunion Islands he married.

Mm.
Then, he said actually his 2 brothers are not his father's children...tjooo. Ndaba has said MandLa was born out of wedlock neh. Mandla felt that was an insult to his mother and wasn't true. Sooo, he said Ndaba's mom was married to another man when she fell pregnant with his dad, Makgato's child; ie Ndaba. Was that necessary in explaining why he exhumed the bodies?

He went on to tell us he is unable to have children!!!and that the kid must be tested.
He urged his aunt Makaziwe to concentrate on her own family cos mos she's married. I think that's right thou. I wonder what her new family thinks of their makoti getting involved in Mandela issues. Mandla got his chieftainship cos Tata felt he was too old and as the next in line, Mandla got it.
In other news, Makaziwe went and told the Daily Mail that she doesn't think her father loves her. She went and spoke of an 'awkward' Madiba who is unable to express love to his family. That's not the view we have of Mandela. I was watching Happy Endings the other day and one woman complimenting her boss said 'You have the heart of Nelson Mandela and the arms of Michelle Obama'...isn't that just the ideal combination???
Well, Makaziwe has issues with her dad like that.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1321130/Nelson-Mandelas-daughter-I-dont-know-father-loves-Sometimes-children-really-loved-parents.html

It hurts me that the old man's money has led to him being disrespected like this. There's an open letter telling them to calm themselves out. South Africans are embarrassed by this vulture like fighting that's happening in public from such a prestigious family. I think they shoulda stuck to their secret meetings and not made us have anything bad to say about the Mandela name. They are tarnishing his name guys.
 Anyway, the drama's intriguing and my jaw is on the floor everytime an update comes in.

http://zagossip.com/2013/07/04/finally-a-letter-to-mandla-makaziwe-and-zezani-mandela-by-mbali-mchunu/

At least I learnt a lesson here...restraint may not be easy, but its a necessary skill to learn. Tjooo!

Graca spoke yesterday. Ever so gracefully. Ever so strong. I think this was the 1st time she spoke since the old man was hospitalised. So put together this woman!

http://journeytochino.blogspot.com/search?q=graca+machel