Kotarski: What impact has Nelson Mandela had on your life?

By: /
9 December, 2013

Nelson Mandela was an inspiration for me from the time when I first learned about his imprisonment as a little boy in Poland. It was through his case that I learned about the morally repugnant realities of colonialism and apartheid, which led me to reflect more seriously on the societies I have lived in.

I am sad about Mandela’s passing because it highlights just how unlikely it seems that someone with his views could be elected in one of today’s democracies.

Justice, true equality, standing up for the poor and oppressed – none of these help to raise campaign funds in 2013, or get think-tank applause for “serious” candidates or get much mainstream media attention.

Before you click away, we’d like to ask you for a favour … 

Journalism in Canada has suffered a devastating decline over the last two decades. Dozens of newspapers and outlets have shuttered. Remaining newsrooms are smaller. Nowhere is this erosion more acute than in the coverage of foreign policy and international news. It’s expensive, and Canadians, oceans away from most international upheavals, pay the outside world comparatively little attention.

At Open Canada, we believe this must change. If anything, the pandemic has taught us we can’t afford to ignore the changing world. What’s more, we believe, most Canadians don’t want to. Many of us, after all, come from somewhere else and have connections that reach around the world.

Our mission is to build a conversation that involves everyone — not just politicians, academics and policy makers. We need your help to do so. Your support helps us find stories and pay writers to tell them. It helps us grow that conversation. It helps us encourage more Canadians to play an active role in shaping our country’s place in the world.

Become a Supporter