Nelson Mandela, 1918-2013: A Journalist's Appreciation
Nelson Mandela , 1918-2013: A Journalist's Appreciation National Geographic Editor in Chief Chris Johns remembers the African leader. A portrait of Nelson Mandela. Photograph by Chris Johns, National Geographic I met Nelson Mandela early in 2001 while working with writer Peter Godwin on a story about Peace Parks , wildlife reserves without borders. Arrangements for the meeting had taken a full year. The interminable correspondence with the officials who surrounded Mandela flew back and forth. We'd only get ten minutes, they said. The former President of South Africa was a very busy man. Finally, Peter and I stood on the threshold of his house in Houghton, a leafy suburb of Johannesburg. His house was tasteful, but not ostentatious. We were ushered in and offered tea. Mandela was a tall man who radiated warmth. He spoke quietly. The force of his words did not depend on volume. He was intensely focused. You knew he was listening with the full force of his concentra