How Nelson Mandela Uses Rugby to Unite South Africa Essay

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Invictus Leadership Analysis1Invictus is a film that follows Mandela’s release from prison and his role as president of South Africa. The theme of the film is how to inspire the men and women of the nation to put aside their differences and come together as one community so that they can heal from their past wounds. To help the nation heal, Mandela realizes the country needs something to believe in, something to be inspired by. He turns to the rugby team, because the country is hosting the World Cup that year. He reaches out to the captain of the team, Pinaar, and gives him the idea that if the team can win the World Cup it will help the people of South Africa to believe in themselves and to put aside their grudges and prejudices that they have nursed toward one another for so many years.The film shows that in the beginning some of the South Africans root against their own team because they see the team as being part of the apartheid past and they hate it for that. Yet as the team begins to win and beats all expectations the people of the nation cannot help but join in the fun and begin to root for their home team after all. Mandela helps to unite the team to the country by ordering the team to go out and hold clinics for the youth, and this helps them all bond and it creates a good spirit in the team and in the community.The captain of the rugby team and Mandela have a special bond, too, for they both have a vision of uniting the nation—a vision of being part of something that is bigger than them. They are both selfless as they submit to this vision and give it everything they have. They do nothing for their own glory but rather everything for the glory of the people. In the end, the team wins the World Cup, as underdogs, and the people of South Africa come together as one nation to celebrate this great victory. Mandela sees it as a symbolic victory, a moment of pride and joy and innocence that he hopes will enable his people to lift up their heads and be the captains of their own souls once more instead of being captives to hate and division.2One of the behaviors of Mandela that is most effective for him as a leader is that he challenges people not to fight but to forgive. He sees how angry, suspicious and bitter the people are toward one another. Each side views the other with deep antipathy. First, he challenges the people in his administration and security detail to work together without prejudice. He tells them that if they want to quit because they don’t believe in the government, fine; but if they want to quit because they think they or someone else has the wrong color skin, that is not fine. He wants people to see past their prejudices and accept one another as human beings.

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He challenges his daughter to do the same, to see the white man not as an enemy but rather as a friend. He tells he this after she complains about the picture in the newspaper in which he is shown shaking the hands of a white man. She sees only skin color and addresses the anger in her own heat—so he tells her. But he…

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…and they have fun doing it. It reminds them of the joy and innocence of the game. Whereas before training was difficult and hard work—now they see the life in the eyes of the children and the way the children celebrate them as heroes. They are inspired by the children just as the children are inspired by them. It is a great moment because it captures what the game truly is about: it is about working together as a team, camaraderie, and sportsmanship. They rediscover that magic within themselves by removing themselves from the practice field and going to spend time with children who barely know the first thing about rugby but love the game and love the men who play it professionally.The fact that Pinaar never criticizes Mandela or criticizes his ideas but stands by him is significant: he believes in the vision and through his own authentic leadership he gets the rest of the team to buy into the vision. They buy into the vision by going out into the world and seeing the impact they have on the community. Pinaar is right: they are more than just a rugby team—they represent the heart of the nation, the unifying principle that can bring the white and black population together as one. They represent the spirit of joy, youth, and innocence. It is not just a game of rugby; it is a game of life, and in life one must have that same spirit of joy, youth, and innocence for it is this that can help the nation to overcome its prejudices and biases. Pinaar understands this and gets the rest of the team to see what it means to be more than just a rugby….....

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