1leg·a·cy
noun \ˈle-gə-sē\
plural leg·a·cies
Definition of LEGACY
1
: a gift by will especially of money or other personal property : bequest
2
: something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past legacy of the ancient philosophers>
We are racing towards the end of the year at breakneck speed. Honestly, the realisation leaves me breathless. How is it possible that time is speeding up to this extent.
It is in the quiet moments in airplanes or taxis while en-route to my destination that I catch my breath and think of the more important things in my life as opposed to the non-essentials like being on time for yet another meeting in one form or another OR the colour of my hair. (Yep, I'm going through a hair colour phase. AGAIN). But wait, I digress.
Legacy, my legacy, our legacy. What do we leave for the ones that will replace us?
My friends look at me strangely when I bring up this topic. True, I don't have kids but surely that does not mean that we should only consider our legacy in relation to our offspring only. It sure is a big world out there and we should to everything and anything to leave it a better place. I think...
I was fortunate to walk through the British Museum a couple of weeks ago on one of those rare sun-filled days in the capital of crappy weather. Hidden in the basement of this magnificent exhibition space you'll find an exhibition on African artifacts, both ancient and not so old. I was hell-bent on seeing the Benin bronze plaques - legacy of the Oba's. I must've spend at least an hour in that space marveling at the bronze mask and plaques. Which got me thinking about Africa's modern legacy. What will be known for in years to come?
Enters Pieter-Dirk Uys. I remember this guy as "Evita". He played a sharp witted alter-ego with a satirical take on the political situation in then Apartheid South Africa. You either loved or hated him. Anyhoo, skip to today and this guy is doing amazing work on a more social front in the battle agains HIV/AIDS. Talk about leaving a legacy. Hats off to Evita. Respect!
