8. From liberation movement to transformative leadership: Mrs Graça Machel on power, people and purpose.

In this episode of The Mandela Rhodes Foundation Podcast, Mrs Machel reflects on intergenerational leadership responsibility, education as a driver of dignity and transformation, and the quiet work of healing and reconciliation. From her early political awakening under colonial rule to serving as Mozambique’s first Minister of Education, she challenges narrow ideas of power, questions who development is really for, and calls on young Africans to lead now, not later. Leadership is ultimately reframed as service, inner work, and moral courage, positioning Africa as a vital moral voice in shaping global futures.