Nelson Mandela (1918-2013) was 75 years old when he voted for the first time in his life.

That was in South Africa’s 1994 general election.

Mandela proudly spoke of “the tens of thousands of voters who stood patiently in long queues for many hours” as the very “symbol of a miracle.”

Even when he grew frail after his retirement from politics, he never once sat out an election.

Mandela was sworn in as the first black president of South Africa on May 10 exactly 30 years ago.

That was the result of the nation’s historic democratic election of 1994, in which citizens of all races were allowed to participate for the first time.

I remember watching footage of the inauguration ceremony, feeling deeply moved that South Africa’s 350 years of white supremacy had finally ended.

Imprisoned for 27 years as an anti-apartheid political prisoner, Mandela was not even allowed to attend the funerals of his mother and one of his sons.

After he was released from prison in 1990, many white South Africans were said to have feared retribution.

But in his inaugural address, Mandela called for reconciliation and the construction of a “rainbow nation" in which many races can cooperate.

Is it possible for anyone to curb grudges against people who have treated them terribly and caused them to lose their companions?

When I put this question to a South African activist who knew Mandela, I was told, “Yes, it is possible if one believes in ‘ubuntu.’”

Ubuntu is a Bantu word that translates as “humanity” and means something like, “I am I because of who you are,” implying a value system that stresses the interconnectedness of individuals through mutual help, tolerance and forgiveness.

Mandela valued the rights he gained through commitment to his cause. After voting in a local election when he was 87, he said, “I want to keep voting for years to come. Even after I am dead and buried, I intend to wake up and go to the polls.”

I remember his words at every election time in Japan.

—The Asahi Shimbun, May 10

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.