A TALE OF TWO MEN: MANDELA AND MUKETE

By Tikum Mbah Azonga

This is the story of two men, one of whom is called Nelson Mandela; and the other, Victor Mukete.

Although the first was from the Republic of South Africa and the second is from Cameroon, they nevertheless have a lot in common. Firstly, they were both born in the same year, 1918: Mandela on the 18^th of July and Mukete on the 15^th of November.  Just as Mandela saw the light of day first, he also departed from this world first, because he died in 2013. On the other hand, Mukete is still alive and kicking. Both are similar in body built because they are tall, stout and handsome. They have defied the process of aging because they have by far beaten the biblical human life span of “two score and ten” years, in the sense that at the time Mandela departed, he was aged 95. Mukete is today, 97, and still counting, which means that already, he has beaten Mandela`s record by two years. It will be recalled that when the former American President passed the age of 80, he remarked that he was now “living on borrowed time”. Both Mandela and Mukete have outmatched that record. This remarkable feat of Reagan, Mandela and Mukete deserves credit because a majority of people do not live to celebrate their 80^th birthday.

Even so, there is another aspect that unites Mandela and Mukete. Astrologically speaking, Mandela (born on the 18^th of July) was a Cancerian, while Mukete who was born on the 15^th of November is a Scorpio. The two signs are highly compatible with each other. They are two of the three Water signs. The Zodiac has tweve signs, three of which are under the natural Element, Water; three under the Element Earth (Virgo, Capricorn and Taurus); three under Air (Aquarius, Gemini and Libra), and three under the Element Fire (Aries, Leo and Sagittarius). As a rule of thumb, the highest level of compatibility is attained when two people come not just from the same Element but from two different signs within that Element. Interestingly, when two people from the same Element meet, the relationship is not so smooth. Surely, they will have their moments of extreme joy with each other. But since they are too similar, there will also be times when they cannot stand each other. At such times, the undeclared war for supremacy sets in and they can spend days, each person entrenched in his or her own camp. The astrological relationship that characterizes Mandela and Mukete is the same that characterized the Chairman of the SDF party, Ni John Fru Ndi (who is Cancer) and his wife of blessed memory Ma Rose Fru Ndi who was Scorpio. Unfortunately, Mandela and Mukete are not male and female, let alone, a couple in the real sense of the word. If they were, their story might have taken a different turn. But nature and destiny have their own way of doing things.

Nonetheless, there were points that separated Mandela and Mukete, even before Mandela left. In his last years, he was already grey and looked frail and finished. On the other hand and up to this day, Mukete has exhibited incredible signs of liveliness. His senses remain largely unimpaired and he still walks, reads and speaks remarkably well. In short, he has his wits about him. He chooses his diction with dexterity and delivers his speech with phonetic finesse. As I write, Mukete is still very strongly an active member of Cameroon`s Senate and discharges his functions as Dean of the House with deftness.

All said and done, both men are icons in their own countries, although on that score Mandela stands taller than Mukete because his long and relentless fight against apartheid in his country, coupled with his 27-year jail term, turned him into a world idol. Mandela also rose to become not just President of South Africa but the country`s first ever Black President.

Having said all of that, we must acknowledge that Mandela was no saint. He jettisoned his wife of many years – Winnie Mandela – in order to get married to the widow of his friend of longstanding, the late President Samora Machel of Mozambique. Mandela also has a private life that is generally littered with numerous wives; he got married thrice to three different woman and so showed some signs of domestic instability.  However, that may be a matter between him and his God, after all, the departed Congolese Singer Franco (Luambo Makiadi) once sang that “Mata ya mwasi na mobali ekoki kosila te” (do not get involved in a matter regarding a woman and her husband”.

Someone once described Mandela as the most popular man in the world after Jesus Christ. Some Cameroonians even went to the extent of saying that if they had the choice between Cameroon and South Africa, they would choose South Africa because of Mandela. However, there is an anecdote according to which after Jacob Zuma, the current President of South Africa acceded to that position, and someone asked him whether he thought he could ever be as good a leader as Mandela had been. Zuma reported answered: “We can`t have a hundred Mandelas.”

The paradox is that in the end (so far), South Africa`s Mandela has gone while we still have our Mukete. Interestingly, when Paul Biya named him among those he was appointing into the Senate, there was an outcry from some quarters to the effect that a younger person should have been chosen in his place. Why? While the young must grow and take up their positions as the leaders of tomorrow, they still need some of the old guard around in order to learn from their age, longevity and experience.

Undoubtedly, Mukete`s achievements are many. He has served as Board Chairman of the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC), the largest employer in Cameroon after the State. He was appointed Board Chairman of the national telecommunications corporation, CAMTEL. He is also paramount ruler of the Bafaw people who are the indigenes of Kumba, the largest city in the South West Region of Cameroon. He owns and runs a large agricultural plantation that enables him to feed himself and his family as well as provide jobs to Cameroonians. His children and grand children occupy significant positions in Cameroonian society. At a personal level, he has been known to speak up against social injustice.

Without any doubt, Mukete is an asset to Cameroon. We ought to get closer to him in order for him to tell us his secret: What is it that makes him tick, and for so long?

FOOTNOTE

This article is an adaptation of a paper I broadcast on Foundation Radio, `The Voice of the Voiceless` in Ngomgham-Mankon, Bamenda, North West Region on 22 July 2013.