To General Powell

The first time I met General Powell, I had read a few books about him.?I knew a bit about his beginnings but I knew more about what he had become.?And I was in complete awe.?He was meeting a group of Eisenhower fellows in the City College of New York City.?The night before we had stepped out into downtown Harlem, and at a West African Restaurant, amidst wafting aromatic reminders of home, we talked about Africa.?Dinner has a nice way of making every problem seem like it owns a solution. We were on a high when we retired to the historic Beacon Hotel for the night.?

We all knew we would meet the Maestro the next day.?He was the reason we were in New York.?Years before, he had become the Executive Chairman of the Eisenhower Fellows.?His dream on taking up the position had been for an Africa cohort of fellows, the first regional African programme for the Eisenhower Fellowships. He had been instrumental in arranging the historic meeting between our group and President Obama. In CCNY, we were going to meet special people who had been mentored by him.?They walked with military bearing, shoes glowing ebony.?They had stories of limited beginnings, changed lives and unlimited potential.?The trajectories of their lives arched over the stratosphere. The leaders they had become, would break records.?They were Powell leaders.?

There is a special gravitas about those who have really achieved something in life. They bring along striking facets of where they have been, wherever they go.?This was one of the most powerful men in the world at the time, sitting with dreamers from varied backgrounds, sharing stories.?I look back to those times and still can’t believe how privileged we were. ?

When he spoke, his phrasing was quiet, but the lessons reverberated.?His story-scape ranged from anecdotes with presidents to snippets with street vendors.?And all the time the human thread of life run through, and true. ?It was difficult to capture its?twists and turns and miss the?perspective of what one life can do. We are all born into the single tracks that our lives look like on the first day. But these tracks intertwine. And the complexity and impact of these connections is really just up to us, and purpose. When we took the photograph outside in the chilly New York afternoon, I stood behind him. It was just photographic happenstance, but maybe it was the magnetism of a fulfilled life, that I tried to tap into. I wore my Dad’s kente, and the goose pimples crowded my bare shoulders as I braved the zero degree windchill for that photo. Now I look at it, and know that his life’s trajectory transcended lives from inner city of New York to the sinking sands of Totimekope, the shacks of Kibera, the high rises of Johannesburg and more.?

I believe that God has a sense of humor. It’s the reason why life is full of stories like Powell’s. How the boy from the underbelly of New York City became a General who led the most powerful army I the free world, beggars belief.?Before the final farewell,?he was lying?in the?place that America sees off her presidents. And people reflected, on his journey, from all walks of life. These are the stories that only Godly purpose crafts. ?

Now that he is gone, I remember him for what his name means to me. He believed in the simple truths of life: perseverance, bravery, kindness and servant leadership. He impacted lives across the world, and his quiet example in difficult situations will continue to be a shining light of inspiration for generations of leaders to come. If the purpose of life is service to humanity, then there can be no higher calling than that for the people who dedicate their lives to leading nations.?The people who are able to do this right, and end their lives on the mantle of honour, are special and deserve all the veneration. It is only the special who can handle the power that leadership brings, and stay grounded enough to empower the people whose welfare they are responsible for.?

A leader manages and allocates resource, and empowers the people who are led to be better humans who actualise purpose. That process is beautiful to see. General Powell was always a great advocate for that process.?

The process transcends his death. ?