Former US president Barack Obama has joined South Africans in marking the centennial of anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela’s birth with acts of charity in a country still struggling with deep economic inequality 24 years after the end of white minority rule.
Obama Marks Mandela Centennial with South Africans (See Photo)
South Africans and others around the world are marking the July 18 100th birthday of Mr. Mandela with clinic openings, blanket handouts, and other charitable acts.
After 27 years in prison in South Africa, Mr. Mandela was released in 1990 and became the country’s first black president four years later. He died in 2013 at the age of 95.
Obama met young leaders from around Africa to mark the anniversary, a day after he delivered a spirited speech in Johannesburg about Mr. Mandela’s legacy of tolerance and criticized US president Donald Trump and his policies without mentioning him by name.
The former president received a standing ovation for his address, his highest-profile speech since he left office.
Obama Marks Mandela Centennial with South Africans (See Photo)
“Most people think of Mandela as an older man with hair like mine,” the 56-year-old Mr. Obama said to laughter from his audience.
“But he started as a very young man, at your age, trying to liberate this country.”
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Meanwhile, he urged African leaders to pursue change at home and emphasized the impact they can have on the continent’s population is the fastest-growing in the world.
Obama Marks Mandela Centennial with South Africans (See Photo)
“How big are your ambitions?” he asked.
He also spoke out against the corruption and conflict that slow down change, mentioning as one example the threat from Boko Haram extremists based in neighbouring Nigeria.
“Find a way where you’re not selling your soul,” Mr. Obama said, as he urged more political and community involvement, especially from women. +3
