In the Xhosa language of Southern Africa, "Thembi" means love, faith, and hope. I have always felt that this meaning was a spiritual dictate on the direction of my life and this came full circle last summer when I visited Cape Town, South Africa for three and a half weeks and came to understand the faith, hope, and love within this rebuilding country.         Perhaps it is this connection of my name that has inspired a life-long interest in the unfolding political and social drama in South Africa. Prior to even learning about the study abroad trip sponsored by the Academy of Leadership here at the University of Maryland, I had digested the autobiography of Nelson Mandela (Long Walk to Freedom) as if it were an adventure novel or better yet a how-to manual for societal revolution. You can imagine my awe when I found myself standing on Robben Island, the former
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location of the prison where many of the freedom fighters who had struggled against apartheid were imprisoned. Suddenly, the very scenes I had only previously read about came alive in 3-Dimensions.           As we talked with former political prisoners there who now serve as tour guides, I came to realize that while Nelson Mandela was and is a great man, he wasn't the only hero in the epic story of social change in South Africa. This point was underscored when we were given a tour of some of the black townships. These were areas on the outskirts of the cities in ...

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