Obama to make rare high-profile speech on Mandela’s legacy
JOHANNESBURG — In a speech marking the 100th birthday of anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela, former U.S. President Barack Obama will urge youth around the world to work for human rights and fair societies, highlighting the late South African leader’s example of persevering in the struggle for democracy and equal rights for all.
The speech on Tuesday, one of Obama’s most high-profile since leaving office, is meant to draw attention to values that today are under threat and to rally people in Africa and elsewhere to push for tolerance and justice. Obama is not expected to make any mention of his successor, President Donald Trump, said Ben Rhodes, Obama’s longtime aide and adviser.
“At the current moment we’re in, values that we thought were well-established — the importance of human rights, respect for diversity — in many parts of the world those values are under threat,” Rhodes told The Associated Press. “Mandela’s life is an inspiring example of how we can overcome obstacles to promote inclusive democracy and an equitable society with tolerance of others.”
In delivering the annual Nelson Mandela Lecture before thousands of South Africans, Obama is expected to highlight how the Nobel Peace Prize winner, who was imprisoned for 27 years, kept up his campaign against what appeared to be insurmountable odds to end apartheid, South Africa’s harsh system of white minority rule.