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Soccer player Pelé was past his prime when he was thrust into fame, disproving the theory that dying in your thirties may be your best career move.
Bob Marley died at 36, Jesus Christ at 33 and Steve Biko at 30. Che Guevara and Malcolm X just made it to 39. According to the proponents of the theory, the legacy of Sexy Che will outlast that of Fidel Castro, and Malcolm X will forever tower over the coffee-with-cream Martin Luther King Jr.
There may be some whiff of truth in that.
Che Guevara has graced more T-shirts than Castro, and the French authorities have revived X with what they call the music of Malcolm X, which they use to dissuade north African Muslim youth from joining extremist groups.
The derby between Nelson Mandela and Steve Biko has gone quiet to all but the most ardent of punters. Biko had been an ancestor for 36 years when Madiba joined him, and, for now, the winner is Madiba.
According to Box Office Mojo, the movie Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom grossed more than $27 million, while Cry Freedom made a measly $5.9 million. When adjusted for inflation, Biko raked in a paltry $12.5 million.
Even artistically, Madiba brought in more numbers. He had eight wins against Biko’s five. Madiba got 29 nominations and Biko only 14.
Biko got three Oscar nominations against one for Madiba; four Golden Globes nominations and no win against Madiba’s three nominations and one win. Madiba’s win was for Bono, and Biko’s nomination was for George Fenton and the inimitable son of the soil, Jonas Gwangwa.
Biko got a nomination for a Grammy and Madiba got nothing there. Long Walk to Freedom was also awarded by small organisations such as the Denver Film Critics Society, which was interested in promoting itself rather than rewarding the creativity of the film.
So if you have been unfortunate enough to make it past your thirties, do not despair, there is still hope for you – provided you admit that you still have a lot to learn. The problem is that most people’s dreams start to die in their thirties, and by the time they reach their forties, they’ve become browbeaten zombies who have been knocked into compliance. These are the walking dead who are neither loyal nor rebellious, waiting to be pronounced dead while preparing for a funeral so big and expensive they hope it will give them the dignity in death they lacked on earth while alive.
Competition in business and the workplace has reached Olympic proportions, and it now requires a new approach. It is no longer only the brightest and the moneyed who succeed, but those with the stamina to work long hours without losing productivity. Success in the office now starts in the gym.
Pelé had been playing for the same team – Santos – for 16 years when the manager of New York Cosmos, Clive Toye, started trying to recruit him.
Pelé was lucky, because Toye knocked at his door for four years. Juventus and Real Madrid also tried to recruit Pelé.
Most people would have chosen the more successful European teams instead of a team in the struggling North American Soccer League. Toye told the BBC that, in his conversation with Pelé, he told the player: “If you go there, you can win a championship, but if you come with us, you can win a country.”
A ridiculous choice, but Pelé chose to win a country, and his prize was the world. That’s the secret: make that ridiculous choice.
Kuzwayo is the founder of Ignitive,an advertising agency
