President Obama today, at the FBN Stadium in Soweto, joined over 90 world leaders, including Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan, in paying respects to Nelson Mandela, former South African President. He arrived this morning on board Air Force One in the company of his wife, Michelle, former US President, George W. Bush and his wife, Laura and former US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.
Obama received a rousing welcome at the stadium in sharp contrast to South Africa’s President, Jacob Zuma who was loudly booed by the crowd.
Eulogy: U.S. President Barack Obama delivers his speech at the memorial service for Nelson Mandela at the FNB soccer stadium in JohannesburgGiving his condolences: President Obama kisses Nelson Mandela’s widow Graca Machel during the memorial service
See below the highlights of President Obama’s rousing speech. (More Photos Below)
To the people of South Africa – people of every race and walk of life – the world thanks you for sharing Nelson Mandela with us. His struggle was your struggle. His triumph was your triumph.
Born during World War I, far from the corridors of power, a boy raised herding cattle and tutored by elders of his Thembu tribe – Madiba would emerge as the last great liberator of the 20th century.
He was not a bust made of marble; he was a man of flesh and blood – a son and husband, a father and a friend.
Mandela showed us the power of action; of taking risks on behalf of our ideals.
Mandela understood the ties that bind the human spirit. There is a word in South Africa – ‘Ubuntu’ – that describes his greatest gift: his recognition that we are all bound together in ways that can be invisible to the eye; that there is a oneness to humanity; that we achieve ourselves by sharing ourselves with others, and caring for those around us.
It took a man like Madiba to free not just the prisoner, but the jailer as well; to show that you must trust others so that they may trust you; to teach that reconciliation is not a matter of ignoring a cruel past, but a means of confronting it with inclusion, generosity and truth. He changed laws, but also hearts.
There are too many of us who happily embrace Madiba’s legacy of racial reconciliation, but passionately resist even modest reforms that would challenge chronic poverty and growing inequality. There are too many leaders who claim solidarity with Madiba’s struggle for freedom, but do not tolerate dissent from their own people. And there are too many of us who stand on the sidelines, comfortable in complacency or cynicism when our voices must be heard.
We will never see the likes of Nelson Mandela again. But let me say to the young people of Africa, and young people around the world – you can make his life’s work your own. Over thirty years ago, while still a student, I learned of Mandela and the struggles in this land. It stirred something in me. It woke me up to my responsibilities – to others, and to myself – and set me on an improbable journey that finds me here today. And while I will always fall short of Madiba’s example, he makes me want to be better.
Historic: The handshake between the leaders of the two Cold War enemies came during a ceremony that focused on Mandela’s legacy of reconciliationRare display of unity: President Obama shakes hands with Cuban leader Raul Castro in spite of the animosity between themProminent role: U.S. President Barack Obama, who will deliver a eulogy at the service, is joined by First Lady Michelle (right)‘His triumph was your triumph’: President Barrack Obama is shown on a big screen as he delivers his eulogy to flag-waving and umbrella-holding mournersCheers: When America’s first couple flashed up on screen the crowd roared their approval of the U.S.’s first black PresidentTough conditions: Mr Obama was delayed because his motorcade struggled through the rain-soaked route to the World Cup stadiumTwo very different receptions: Mr Obama, who was greeted with prolonged applause, embraces South African president Jacob Zuma, who was loudly booedWet, but well received: President Barrack Obama greets members of the crowd in the pouring rain after making his speechHomage: Obama paid an emotional tribute to Nelson Mandela, thanking the people of South Africa for ‘sharing’ their former president with the worldRespect: Nelson Mandela is shown on a giant screen inside the stadium as thousands of South Africans and global dignitaries file into the groundFitting setting: A general view of the arena which was the location of Mr Mandela’s first speech in Johannesburg after he was released from prison in 1990A man waves a South African flag: South Africans have been praised for the ‘dignified’ way in which they have commemorated Mr Mandela’s deathUmbrella weather: The ceremony started an hour late in the pouring rain to allow dignitaries and members of the public to file in to the arena
Colourful: A woman dressed in the regalia of the South African national rugby team arriving at the stadiumThe highest spots: Spectators gather ahead of the Tuesday memorial ceremonyCelebration: A mourner wearing a wig in the South African national colours arrives at the stadiumUnity: Mandela is loved by South Africans for his efforts to transform the racially divided country into the ‘Rainbow Nation’Dance: Many of those inside the stadium were dancing to celebrate the life of the former leaderHero: Mandela’s death has united South Africa in mourning for the past five daysDrizzle: But mourners were not deterred by the rain in Johannesburg as they arrived at the stadiumCarnival atmosphere: Even before the start of the service thousands had gathered to celebrate the life of the former presidentPassion: The huge number of mourners at the ceremony is testimony to the impact Mandela made on his countryUnity: Mandela is loved by South Africans for his efforts to transform the racially divided country into the ‘Rainbow Nation’Father of the country: Many, like this little boy, refer to the former president using his tribal name, MadibaPolitics: A supporter waves the flag of the African National Congress, the liberation movement which became Mandela’s political partyBanner: Supporters carrying a large sign which paid tribute to Mandela’s lasting legacy in South Africa and the rest of the worldQueues: Members of the public clutching umbrellas to protect against the rain file in to the stadium in SowetoGetting ready: Crowds have been piling up around the First National Bank stadium where Mandela’s memorial service will be held on TuesdayPrepared: People filled the stadium on Tuesday hours before the dignitaries arrivedReady to celebrate: It has been five days since the 95-year-old former President diedFestive: Men singing in the queue for the ceremony at South Africa’s largest football stadiumPaternal: Mandela was often known at ‘Tata’, or ‘Father’, by South Africans grateful for his legacyFilling the seats: The stadium, dubbed ‘Soccer City’, holds 90,000 but there have been overflow areas planned in advance as organizers are worried about an unruly turn outDownpout: The rain did not deter the good-natured crowds and provided a business opportunity for entrepreneurial bystandersHis final appearance: It was in ‘Soccer City’ in 2010 where former President Mandela was last seen publicly before he stopped going to large events due to his ailing healthInspiration: 14-year-old Thomas looks out across the arena as the crowds start to file in for the memorial serviceProgramme: The events were scheduled to include talks by world leaders as well as tributes from Mandela’s familySuccessor: Former South African President Thabo Mbeki (left) is welcomed as he arrives at the FNB StadiumSuccessor: Former South African President Thabo Mbeki inside the venue with his wife Zanele (right)Outside: A mourner holding a South African flag on the outskirts of the FNB Stadium this morningUganda’s President Yoweri MuseveniMalawi’s President Joyce Banda (right) arrive at WaterkloofEquatorial Guinea’s president Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo arrived in South Africa on Monday nightKenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta also arrived on Monday nightWelcoming committee: President Obama and Michelle (who is covered by an umbrella) are greeted Tuesday morning on the tarmac in Johannesburg by International Relations Minister Maite Nkoane-Mashabane (center)Touching down: President Obama and First Lady Michelle looked collected and sombre after coming off the 17-hour flight on Air Force OneJovial: Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan (left) and retired Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu appear in good spirits as they arrive for the serviceRespected: Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan arrived with Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former President Jimmy CarterStars: U2 singer Bono and South African actress Charlize Theron talking in the crowd at the ceremonyLines of succession: Obama led the Americans, followed by Michelle, then former President George Bush, Laura Bush, and Hillary Clinton seen just slightly at the endFormer President George W. Bush and his wife Laura are seen coming off of Air Force One after the Obamas as the two couples shared the plane with former Secretary of State and first lady Hillary ClintonEmbraced: Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair (left) is greeted after arriving for the memorial service in JohannesburgSense of humour: Former President of Ireland Mary Robinson (left) chats with Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu arrive inside the FNB stadiumSpringboks: South Africa’s rugby captain Jean de Villiers and his predecessor Francois Pienaar were among the mournersUnited: When Mandela handed the rugby world cup to Pienaar it was considered a landslide moment in the post-apartheid eraMourning: Mr Mandela’s former wife Winnie Mandela Madikizela (centre), who famously greeted her husband as he left prison, arrives at the ceremonyNot attending: Russia’s president Vladimir Putin today signed a book of condolence for Mandela’s death at the South African embassy in MoscowZimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace Mugabe (centre) arrive in Pretoria ahead of the memorialControversial: Reviled Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is questioned by reporters as he makes his way into the stadiumFamily affair: (front row) Mr Mandela’s daughters Zindzi, Zenani and Makaziwe Mandela, ex-wife Winnie Mandela Madikizela and widow Graca Machel before the serviceRelatives: Mr Mandela’s ex-wife Winnie Mandela Madikizela (left) and his widow Graca Machel (far right) take their seats in the stadiumPakistani President Mamnoon Hussain (centre) is also on the guestlist for the prestigious memorialSuccessor: Jacob Zuma, the current president of South Africa, gave the keynote speech during the ceremonyAlly: FW de Klerk, who was awarded the Nobel Prize along with Mandela for his role in ending apartheid, arrives with his wife ElitaRepresentatives: David Cameron and Nick Clegg were attending the ceremony along with three former Prime Ministers of BritainRepresentatives: David Cameron and Nick Clegg were attending the ceremony along with three former Prime Ministers of BritainArrival: Mr Cameron, Mr Clegg and John Major walking in to the FNB Stadium this morning
