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Chapter 81
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Long Walk to Freedom, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Racism and Division
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress
Nonviolent Protest vs. Violent Protest
The Value of Optimism
Summary
Analysis
After the student uprising in Soweto, Winnie gets involved with helping the students. Police find out and she gets exiled to a remote part of the country. Zeni, who has been abroad at boarding school in Swaziland, marries Swaziland’s Prince Thumbbumuzi. Because Mandela can’t attend, he gets George Bizos to go in his place. George reports back that the wedding was a joyful occasion. Now that Zeni is part of the Swazi royal family, she has diplomatic privileges to visit Mandela. She comes to introduce Mandela to his new granddaughter and ask for a name. Mandela suggests Zaziwe, which means “Hope.”
The fact that Zeni has to marry the prince of a foreign country just to be able to see Mandela shows the extent to which the government is trying to separate Mandela from his family. Although Mandela can’t attend his own daughter’s wedding, his suggestion to name his granddaughter (who represents a new generation) Hope shows that in spite of the difficulties, Mandela still hasn’t lost faith in the idea that he and his allies might one day build a better future.
Themes
