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Nelson Mandela was a natural leader. The essence of the man propelled him to greatness, amidst the suffering and depersonalization to which he was subjected to, forgiving his jailers is a profound teaching of compassion. What can we learn about transcendent leadership from Nelson Mandela's example? An imperfect man, Mandela self-professed his struggles and challenges. From freedom fighter, to prisoner, to President of South Africa, Mandela's dedication to his mission seemingly never wavered. Under the auspices of the African Union and the South African High Commission, one of Ghana�s talented poets, Johnnie Hughes as written and performed to the South African community in Ghana, Diplomatic corps, African Union and millions of mourners across the continent an eulogy at the Dubois Center in memory of Nelson Madiba Nelson who died as the age of 95. His performance was described by the diaspora forum as �touching and inspirational�. Below is an unedited lyric poem with complex stanza forms Johnnie Hughes performed� A WREATH FOR MADIBA OF AFRICA SONG: Tata Madiba� From the roof of my defenseless head To the very floor of my broken heart I have come to orate through the door of my okro mouth To birth the ripe fruits of my African lips As conceived by my labouring-pregnant thoughts Delivered by my restlessly erected-tongue! For Madiba: A king of many sorts from Africa I sing tunefully with energy, the harmony and melody of Madiba Nelson Mandela : Notre ami To gently soothe and heal the malady of sorrow and grief in you and me That savagely beats mortal hearts and minds of mine and me Like strong winds topples trees Like good antidotes melts disease Way up North, down South, West and in the Far East Royalty is seated on ancient stools so I have come to let the palms of my hand beat the royal drums And let the warriors of Africa their feet thump Let ocean of tears in their eyes flow With Mandela on their minds They must lay down spear, arrow and bow and wallow in sorrow To permit the flow of eulogies germinated from love; Woven with respect and sorrow for today and the unknown tomorrow Let their wailing pierce harder than bees For death has chased and skipped the tease And they dare not stand at ease For Madiba Nelson Mandela of Africa is gone in Peace! SONG: tata Madiba! TATA Madiba! Proud Son of the world from Africa Gentle survivor for earth, man and maker Man-Dela; Saviour of Mankind Wun njuma pa ama wo adin papa Africa kro tiawa nyinara fre wo papa Na south Africa four se TATA I sing for you my wreath of songs, words and songs With the very breath I breathe Come, Madiba. It is you we celebrate today, come and claim your praise. For you are over qualified to bask in the adulations of you numerous companions, Students, friends and admirers TATA Madiba: you who sat in the seat of humility and authority in the critical day Before the sun shone, you made hay to make your people happy and gay You placed your heavy feet of gravity on the violence and madness of apartheid Stripping it off unmerited honour and unnecessary swagger You were an ordinary cattle boy Then you became a protestor Then you were a prisoner You emerged as Patriot and President And took over the world as Peace Maker Come and claim you praise for we are obliged to celebrate you today O MANDELA: freedom to the people! In the confusion of destruction with careless abandon of sufferation The stage waited and the audience thirsted for adventure Then came Madiba: The liberator With action and passion That epiphany into service to mankind was very early and against all odds And you knew that a hero couldn�t survive in a vacuum So you set sail along the banks of apartheid to the land of freedom That path to freedom, fraught with consequences They confined you for one score and seven � not in a peaceful haven They denied you of your earth�s heaven But their confinement couldn�t silence your inspiration from above: HEAVEN Mandela: Freedom is what we need! You said NO to the forces of terror and tyranny For you had, had enough of their tomfoolery Emanating from their crude hands, hearts guns and armoury That ousted nothing but assault and battery You sought to unite black with white And hoisted your flag of bravery Against their evil treachery Mandela: Freedom to the people We felt a sense of calm and charm each time we shook your palm Peace, unity and forward-march engulfed us like water in a dam The day is gone, from the sun to sea to the moon and stars All is not well, but you are safe to rest A man of many accolades you were And now, a man of many epitaphs you are. Oh yes, you curtailed violence with your whip of peace You are the key that unlocked world peace You mentioned their names and pointed fingers at them You made friends and foes And when their smoke became wild fire, your everlasting words quenched it Mandela: freedom to the people TATA Mandela Nelson Mandela of Africa You never were a coward You fought disease and won the battle But death, won the war Now you journey to meet your peers on the other side of the wall Jomo Kenyata, Steve Biko, Oliver Thambo, Julius Nyerere, Malcom, Peterson, Kenneth Kaunda, Patrice Lumumba, Nkrumah� So stand I, to bid farewell with wreath of my breath Wreath of words, songs and words from the breath I breathe You are gone, but your memory will linger on forever Like the break of a new dawn So we smile and yet we mourn As the rainbow your soul adorns You lived, you survived, you achieved and you departed in Peace So rest in perfect peace Mandela Nelson Mandela of Africa!