The crew for leg 16 of the Hokule‘a’s around-the-world voyage arrived in Cape Town, South Africa, last week. I am joining the crew for this leg as their medical officer.

We have been working hard to prepare for our Atlantic crossing to Natal, Brazil. At roughly 4,800 miles, it will be the longest leg of the 3-1/2-year voyage, and it marks the first time in memory that a traditionally navigated Polynesian voyaging canoe has made the journey from Africa to South America.

Consistent with the spirit of malama honua, or caring for the blue planet and its peoples, we were in South Africa on Wednesday for its annual Day of Reconciliation. The celebration included a “Purple March” in honor of Nobel Peace laureate and human rights advocate Desmond Tutu, archbishop emeritus of Cape Town, and his spouse, Leah, for their work promoting peace, reconciliation and equality in the country. The Day of Reconciliation was established to chart the road beyond the end of apartheid in 1994.

That was the year that Nelson Mandela became the first black chief executive of South Africa after serving 27 years of a life sentence in prison for political crimes, much of it on Robben Island, just off the coast of Cape Town.

As the crew readied the canoe, I often gazed over my shoulder at Robben Island and thought deeply about Mandela, whom I have always regarded as among the greatest heroes of my lifetime. Mandela was released from prison in 1990, amid growing strife and an international campaign that lobbied for his freedom. Through his vision and efforts, he guided South Africans away from a full-blown civil war, toward reconciliation and the end of apartheid.

While in Cape Town we have met a great many black South Africans with bright light in their eyes, full of smiles and with joy in their hearts. The sense of ease and freedom was palpable and pervasive.

To be sure, South African news of late has also been filled with reports of political dissent and public comments claiming that the country has not lived up to its stated goals of full reconciliation. As I took in these comments, however, it occurred to me that such debate is also part of a free society, which South Africa has become. Certainly, this is no utopia. The average per capita income in South Africa in roughly 10 percent of that in Hawaii. Rates of HIV are very high, and there are still many in poverty, without enough to eat and with little access to health care.

There is no denying, though, that freedom is in the air in South Africa, and there is evidence throughout Cape Town of an integrated, multiracial society that is a rare beacon of light compared with so many other countries in Africa, the Middle East and other parts of the world where reconciliation has proved illusive.

The Hokule‘a was recently blessed by Tutu for the second time (he blessed the canoe the first time while visiting Honolulu in 2014), upon its recent arrival in Cape Town. Tutu, together with Mandela and F.W. de Klerk, the last political leader of apartheid, were the key architects who sought to deconstruct racial divides and set the country on the path toward reconciliation. All three earned the Nobel Peace Prize for their collaborative work.

The Hokule‘a and its crew are scheduled to leave Cape Town shortly and begin the long journey to Brazil by sailing up the west coast of Namibia toward Walvis Bay.

We will leave here gratified to have witnessed malama honua in action, having met so many South Africans who live with levity, ease and a sense of place among their integrated culture.

Ira Zunin, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., is medical director of Manakai o Malama Integrated Healthcare Group and Rehabilitation Center and CEO of Global Advisory Services Inc. Submit your questions to info@manakaiomalama.com.