Honoring A Giant of History. President Obama’s Speech at Nelson Mandela Memorial

 

National Day of Mourning in South Africa

Mandela Memorial

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Tens of thousands from around the world gathered on a wet, rainy day at the FNB stadium in Johannesburg to bid Africa’s beloved son Nelson Mandela ‘goodbye’. South Africans came out in their numbers to join visitors including tens of Heads of States, well known personalities and dignitaries from around the world in remembering the man whose very existence made such a day possible. It was at this soccer stadium that Nelson Mandela first spoke when he was released from prison 23 years ago, it was also here that he made his last official public appearance in 2010 at the world cup finals. America’s first black president Barack Obama was one of the speakers.

 
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Quotes that stand out from the speech

  • “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. Your dignity and hope found expression in his life, and your freedom, your democracy is his cherished legacy.”
  • “It was precisely because he could admit to imperfection – because he could be so full of good humor, even mischief, despite the heavy burdens he carried – that we loved him so. 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. That is why we learned so much from him; that is why we can learn from him still.”
  • “Mandela taught us the power of action, but also ideas; the importance of reason and arguments; the need to study not only those you agree with, but those who you don’t. He understood that ideas cannot be contained by prison walls, or extinguished by a sniper’s bullet.”
  • “Mandela demonstrated that action and ideas are not enough; no matter how right, they must be chiseled into laws and institutions. He was practical, testing his beliefs against the hard surface of circumstance and history.”
  • “It took a man like Madiba to free not just the prisoner, but the jailor 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.”
  • “Madiba’s passing is rightly a time of mourning, and a time to celebrate his heroic life. But I believe it should also prompt in each of us a time for self-reflection. With honesty, regardless of our station or circumstance, we must ask: how well have I applied his lessons in my own life?”
  • “The questions we face today – how to promote equality and justice; to uphold freedom and human rights; to end conflict and sectarian war – do not have easy answers. But there were no easy answers in front of that child in Qunu. Nelson Mandela reminds us that it always seems impossible until it is done.”

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