Blog #2: "Invictus" - Inspiring a nation

For our second blog we were required to reflect upon the movie “Invictus” in relation to community development. The movie depicts how Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) uses the national rugby team, The Springboks, as a catalyst to unify the South African nation. Apartheid in South Africa disjointed the nation by creating a drastic racial split between the citizens of the nation. What I took away from the movie was mostly about inspiration and leadership and how these two qualities impact community development.

Mandela, after his release from jail, managed to get voted as President of the nation in 1994. With the South African nation being so divided, Mandela faced the extreme challenge of uniting his citizens. Mandela saw something in the Springbok rugby team that he felt he could use to unify the nation. If the underdog team could win the world cup, South Africans would be unified and this could provide a platform for Mandela to move his country forward. Mandela was advocating the change of values for the nation. By uniting the nation they would be able to build their nation and reposition themselves in the global community.

Nelson Mandela:
The Rainbow Nation starts here. Reconciliation starts here.

Forgiveness starts here too.

This particular quote for me served as Mandela’s vision statement. It shows Mandela as an agent of change; change the nation in order to unify it. Having been incarcerated for 27 years and coming out ready to forgive those who oppressed him shows us that he can change. I feel that by displaying his willingness to forgive and move on is a way for Mandela to inspire similar change in his citizens.

Brenda Mazibuko:

You're risking your political capital; you're risking your future as our leader.

Nelson Mandela:
The day I am afraid to do that is the day I am no longer fit to lead.

 Throughout the film Mandela faced challenges to his plan. The above quote represents an example of this. I feel like this particular scene in the movie displays both Mandela’s drive to create change no matter how challenging. Many people along the way are confused as to the importance of Mandela’s focus on rugby but he continues to push for the support of the team by the nation as whole. Mandela was willing to put his entire Presidency on the line to inspire change within his nation. I feel as though his commitment to inspiring this change and his ability to show this to his following was a great asset to his leadership.

One of the interesting moments in the movie for me was when Mandela arranges a meeting with Springbok Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon).  The following conversation occurs:




Watch this scene



Mandela:
How do you inspire your team to do their best?

Pienaar:
By example. I've always thought to lead by example, sir. 

Mandela:
Well, that is right. That is exactly right. But how do we get them to be better then they think they CAN be? That is very difficult, I find. Inspiration, perhaps. How do we inspire ourselves to greatness when nothing less will do? How do we inspire everyone around us? I sometimes think it is by using the work of others.

This conversation stuck with me, mostly due to how I saw this as Mandela looking to Pienaar to inspire him. Through this conversation Mandela was implying to Pienaar that if the Springbok could win the world cup it could unify the nation. Mandela was also analyzing Pienaar’s leadership qualities in order to gain insight into his own leadership style and how to alter it to make it more effective. This scene was a good display of leaders leading each other.

Mandela was able to inspire the change in the nation by inspiring Francois Pienaar to lead his team to greatness. Pienaar understood his need to change something and inspire his team to greatness. In the scene where Pienaar tries to get his team to learn the words to the new anthem Pienaar says:

Times change, we need to change as well.

This quote shows the seed of change that Mandela planted within Pienaar. This idea of change that Mandela sought was growing and Pienaar was using it to inspire his team to be the change the nation needed.

Probably the strongest quote in the movie comes from Mandela’s quoting of the poem “Invictus”.

                        I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul

This final quote of the poem is very empowering. By sharing this poem with Pienaar, Mandela was able to spark his vision of change within Pienaar, thus allowing Pienaar to inspire change within his team. Mandela was the captain of his soul. He was able to think for himself and direct his actions how he saw fit. He shared this quality with those around him and through his actions was able to ignite change in the 43 million people he was leading.

 “Invictus” was a powerful movie which showcases the importance of inspiring people to change for the betterment of a community, in this case an entire nation. The movie displays qualities of a leader shown in Mandela and Pienaar, but also in other supporting characters throughout the film.