Boyd Varty

Whilst being home for Christmas the news came that Nelson Mandela passed away on the 5th December 2013. I have known of Nelson Mandela's great impact on history but not into so much detail as to what he did for his community and the change he impacted on countries such as South Africa. When looking among the wide variety of talks on www.Ted.com, one caught my attention with the caption 'What I learned from Nelson Mandela'. South African, Boyd Varty, talks of stories of animals, people and explains ‘Ubuntu’ meaning ‘I am: because of you’. He dedicates his talk to the African leader Nelson Mandela who died a few hours before Varty was set to talk. Varty explains his experience of seeing that everyone can feel a natural connection with nature, and talks of the gift that Africa has become a much more collected society thanks to Mandela’s empowering influence. Varty shows a different aspect of Mandela's influence, connecting it with nature and the behavior of wild animals. 

This talk is inspiring because it allows an insight into the long lasting affect people can have on each other and the world, and also holds the memory of Mandela in light. Meaningful talks like Varty’s should be shared much more often, and have a far more interesting way of reflecting on such people who have inspired and influenced our history.