President Obama to deliver historic speech to honor Nelson Mandela
President Barack Obama will be paying homage to former South African President Nelson Mandela by speaking at a ceremony to mark the late anti-apartheid leader’s 100th birthday this July.
Obama has been busy walking in Mandela’s footsteps and through his Obama Foundation provides leadership training programs and town meetings around issues of social justice, since he left office. The five-day long event will include workshops and trainings where African leaders will convene and partake in a town hall with the former President.
A number of worldwide events to celebrate Mandela are being planned to commemorate the activist, including a Mandela traveling exhibit this fall that examines the life of the legendary political leader—from his painful 27-year stint as a prisoner to his release and rise to become the first Black president of South Africa.
Obama has been busy traveling, and during his latest visit to Africa, he met with youth leaders and in Nairobi. He also attended a speech in Singapore with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, at a roundtable.
In 2013, Obama spoke at Mandela’s funeral. No word on if Donald Trump was invited to take part in the festivities. But even as the tyrannical leader tweets disparaging messages about Obama, he still shows class. Even this past weekend when he attended the funeral of late former first lady Barbara Bush, he was seen in a photo making Melania Trump smile.
Mandela’s Concerts is also reportedly attempting to pull off “the single largest musical tribute event in history delivered live in multiple host cities on the same day, the 18th July 2018, in support of liberating children from poverty through improved literacy,” according to its website.
No word if Obama’s remarks will also explore the life and legacy of activist Winnie Mandela, who passed away April 2.
