1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,699 [cheers] 2 00:00:04,868 --> 00:00:06,936 Thank you. 3 00:00:07,013 --> 00:00:14,597 [cheers] 4 00:00:14,597 --> 00:00:16,623 Thank you. 5 00:00:16,623 --> 00:00:21,058 [cheers] 6 00:00:21,058 --> 00:00:23,991 Thank you so much. 7 00:00:23,991 --> 00:00:27,695 [cheers] 8 00:00:27,695 --> 00:00:29,813 Thank you. 9 00:00:29,813 --> 00:00:38,478 [cheers] 10 00:00:39,925 --> 00:00:45,308 To Graça Machel and the Mandela family; 11 00:00:45,555 --> 00:00:51,100 To President Zuma and members of the government; 12 00:00:51,439 --> 00:00:54,357 to heads of states and goverments 13 00:00:54,357 --> 00:00:57,275 -- past and present -- 14 00:00:57,275 --> 00:01:00,194 distinguished guests. 15 00:01:00,518 --> 00:01:05,139 It is a singular honor to be with you today 16 00:01:05,139 --> 00:01:09,539 to celebrate a life like no other 17 00:01:10,771 --> 00:01:13,580 To the people of South Africa 18 00:01:13,580 --> 00:01:22,629 [cheers] 19 00:01:22,907 --> 00:01:28,490 People of every race and every walk of life 20 00:01:28,798 --> 00:01:35,257 the world thanks you for sharing Nelson Mandela with us 21 00:01:35,565 --> 00:01:39,548 His struggle was your struggle 22 00:01:39,887 --> 00:01:44,258 his triumph was your triumph, 23 00:01:44,643 --> 00:01:46,676 your dignity and your hope 24 00:01:46,676 --> 00:01:48,709 found expression in his life and your freedom 25 00:01:50,743 --> 00:01:53,793 Your democracy 26 00:01:53,793 --> 00:01:57,604 it's his cherished legacy 27 00:01:59,375 --> 00:02:03,583 It is hard to eulogize any man 28 00:02:04,599 --> 00:02:07,153 to capture in words 29 00:02:07,430 --> 00:02:13,152 not just the facts and the dates that make a life 30 00:02:13,583 --> 00:02:17,027 but the essential truth of a person 31 00:02:17,351 --> 00:02:20,853 the private joys and sorrows 32 00:02:21,146 --> 00:02:24,068 the quiet moments and uniue qualities 33 00:02:24,068 --> 00:02:27,746 that illuminate someone's soul 34 00:02:28,654 --> 00:02:32,409 How much harder to do so for a giant of history 35 00:02:32,594 --> 00:02:35,463 who moved a nation towards justice 36 00:02:35,463 --> 00:02:41,202 and in the process moved billions around the world 37 00:02:41,926 --> 00:02:44,154 Born during the World War I 38 00:02:44,154 --> 00:02:47,005 fired from court orders of power 39 00:02:47,005 --> 00:02:49,859 a boy raised herding cattle 40 00:02:49,859 --> 00:02:53,713 and tutored by the elders of his Mambu tribe 41 00:02:53,713 --> 00:03:00,599 Madiba would emerge as the last great liberator of the 20th century. 42 00:03:01,045 --> 00:03:05,009 Like Gandhi, he would lead a resistence movement 43 00:03:05,009 --> 00:03:10,823 a movement that at the start had little prospect for success 44 00:03:11,284 --> 00:03:14,996 Like Dr. King, he would give potent voice 45 00:03:14,996 --> 00:03:17,592 to the claims of the oppressed 46 00:03:17,592 --> 00:03:21,856 and the moral necessity of racial justice 47 00:03:22,779 --> 00:03:25,643 He would endure a brutal imprisonment 48 00:03:25,643 --> 00:03:30,450 that began in the time of Kennedy and Khrushchev 49 00:03:30,450 --> 00:03:34,816 and reached the final days of the Cold War 50 00:03:35,510 --> 00:03:38,261 Emerging from prison without the force of arms 51 00:03:38,261 --> 00:03:40,548 he would -- like Abraham Lincoln -- 52 00:03:40,548 --> 00:03:41,680 hold his country together 53 00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:45,122 when it threaten to break apart 54 00:03:45,384 --> 00:03:48,805 and like America's founding fathers he would erect 55 00:03:48,805 --> 00:03:54,761 a constitutional order to preserve freedom for future generations 56 00:03:55,178 --> 00:03:59,358 A commitment to democracy and rule of law 57 00:03:59,681 --> 00:04:02,093 ratified not only by his election 58 00:04:02,093 --> 00:04:08,142 but by his willingness to step down from power after only one term 59 00:04:15,178 --> 00:04:18,825 Given the sweep of his life 60 00:04:19,979 --> 00:04:22,561 the scope of his accomplishments 61 00:04:22,561 --> 00:04:26,315 the adoration that he so rightly earned 62 00:04:26,592 --> 00:04:30,165 it's tempting -- I think -- to remember Nelson Mandela as an icon 63 00:04:30,638 --> 00:04:33,389 smilling and serene 64 00:04:33,990 --> 00:04:37,313 detached from the tawdry affairs of lesser men 65 00:04:37,313 --> 00:04:40,743 but Madiba himself strongly resisted 66 00:04:40,743 --> 00:04:43,387 such a lifeless portrait 67 00:04:43,648 --> 00:04:54,077 [cheers] 68 00:04:54,077 --> 00:04:55,400 Instead, 69 00:04:55,753 --> 00:05:01,277 Madiba insisted on sharing with us his doubts and his fears 70 00:05:01,739 --> 00:05:06,763 his miscalculations along with his victories 71 00:05:07,179 --> 00:05:08,931 "I am not a saint", he said 72 00:05:08,931 --> 00:05:15,578 "unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying." 73 00:05:16,747 --> 00:05:21,724 It was precisely because he could admit to imperfection 74 00:05:21,724 --> 00:05:25,765 because he could be so full of good humour 75 00:05:25,765 --> 00:05:29,972 even mischief, despite the heavy burdens that he carried 76 00:05:29,972 --> 00:05:32,245 that we loved him so. 77 00:05:32,660 --> 00:05:37,745 He was not a bust made of marble, he was a man of flesh and blood 78 00:05:37,745 --> 00:05:40,209 a son and a husband 79 00:05:40,209 --> 00:05:42,943 a father and a friend 80 00:05:43,174 --> 00:05:46,770 and that's why we learned so much from him 81 00:05:46,770 --> 00:05:49,432 and that's why we can learn from him still 82 00:05:49,432 --> 00:05:52,899 For nothing he achieved was inevitable 83 00:05:52,899 --> 00:05:56,178 in the arch of his life we see a man 84 00:05:56,178 --> 00:05:59,511 who earned his place in history through struggle 85 00:05:59,511 --> 00:06:03,600 and shrewdness and persistance and faith 86 00:06:05,262 --> 00:06:08,064 he tells us what is possible 87 00:06:08,064 --> 00:06:11,192 not just in the pages of history books 88 00:06:11,192 --> 00:06:14,043 but in our own lives as well. 89 00:06:16,810 --> 00:06:20,348 Mandela showed us the power of action 90 00:06:20,348 --> 00:06:25,442 of taking risks on behalf of our ideas 91 00:06:25,442 --> 00:06:30,682 Perhaps Mandela was right that he "inherited a proud rebelliousness 92 00:06:30,682 --> 00:06:34,799 a stubborn sense of fairness" from his father 93 00:06:35,416 --> 00:06:39,812 and we know he shared with millions of black and coloured Southafricans 94 00:06:39,812 --> 00:06:42,687 "the anger born of a thousand slights 95 00:06:42,687 --> 00:06:45,775 a thousand indignities 96 00:06:45,775 --> 00:06:48,863 a thousand unremembered moments 97 00:06:48,863 --> 00:06:51,952 a desire to fight the system that imprisoned 98 00:06:51,952 --> 00:06:54,447 my people", he said 99 00:06:55,432 --> 00:06:59,101 But like other early giants of the ANC 100 00:06:59,101 --> 00:07:02,026 the Zulus and the Tambos, 101 00:07:02,026 --> 00:07:08,342 [cheers] 102 00:07:08,342 --> 00:07:11,298 Madiba disciplined his anger 103 00:07:11,298 --> 00:07:15,688 and channelled his desire to fight into organization 104 00:07:15,688 --> 00:07:20,174 and platforms and strategies for action 105 00:07:20,174 --> 00:07:23,162 so men and women could stand up 106 00:07:23,162 --> 00:07:26,054 for the God given dignity 107 00:07:26,654 --> 00:07:30,941 Moreover, he accepted the consequences of his actions 108 00:07:30,941 --> 00:07:37,258 knowing that standing up to powerful interests and injustice carries a price 109 00:07:38,822 --> 00:07:44,104 "I've fought against white domination I've fought against black domination." 110 00:07:44,181 --> 00:07:46,182 [cheers] 111 00:07:46,182 --> 00:07:51,078 "I've cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society 112 00:07:51,078 --> 00:07:54,061 in which all persons live together in harmony and equal opportunities 113 00:07:54,384 --> 00:07:59,759 it is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve 114 00:07:59,759 --> 00:08:04,445 but if needs be it's an ideal for which I am prepared to die." 115 00:08:04,445 --> 00:08:15,185 [cheers] 116 00:08:15,401 --> 00:08:17,889 Mandela taught us the power of action 117 00:08:17,889 --> 00:08:21,904 but he also taught us the power of ideas 118 00:08:21,904 --> 00:08:25,773 the importance of reason and arguments 119 00:08:25,773 --> 00:08:28,927 the need to study not only those who you agree with 120 00:08:28,927 --> 00:08:32,566 but also those you don't agree with. 121 00:08:32,921 --> 00:08:37,391 He understood that ideas cannot be contained by prison walls 122 00:08:37,391 --> 00:08:41,182 or extinguished by a sniper's bullet 123 00:08:41,182 --> 00:08:44,556 He turned his trial into an indictment of apartheid 124 00:08:44,556 --> 00:08:47,162 because of his eloquence and his passion 125 00:08:47,162 --> 00:08:50,462 but also because of his training as an advocate 126 00:08:50,786 --> 00:08:55,048 He used decades of prison to sharpen his arguments 127 00:08:55,048 --> 00:09:00,705 but also to spread his thirst for knowledge to others in the movement 128 00:09:00,705 --> 00:09:04,218 and he learned the language and the customs of his oppresors 129 00:09:04,218 --> 00:09:07,019 so that one day he might better convey to them 130 00:09:07,019 --> 00:09:10,124 how their own freedom depend upon his. 131 00:09:10,339 --> 00:09:17,361 [cheers] 132 00:09:17,747 --> 00:09:23,809 Mandela has demonstrated that action and ideas are not enough 133 00:09:23,809 --> 00:09:25,447 no matter how right 134 00:09:25,447 --> 00:09:30,971 they must also be ciselled in the laws and institutions 135 00:09:31,495 --> 00:09:34,744 He was practical, testing his beliefs 136 00:09:34,744 --> 00:09:39,791 against the hard surface of circumstance and history 137 00:09:40,037 --> 00:09:42,934 On core principles he was unyielding 138 00:09:42,934 --> 00:09:46,343 which is why he could rebuff offers of unconditional release 139 00:09:46,343 --> 00:09:49,073 reminding the aparthaid regime 140 00:09:49,073 --> 00:09:53,235 that "prisoners cannot enter into contracts." 141 00:09:53,559 --> 00:09:56,551 But as he showed in painstaking negotiations 142 00:09:56,551 --> 00:10:00,147 to transfer power and draft new laws 143 00:10:00,147 --> 00:10:06,543 He was not afraid to compromise for the sake of a larger goal 144 00:10:06,543 --> 00:10:10,342 And because he was not only a leader of a movement but a skilful politician 145 00:10:10,342 --> 00:10:16,730 the constitution that emerged was worthy of this multi-racial democracy 146 00:10:16,730 --> 00:10:19,977 true to his vision of laws to protect minority 147 00:10:19,977 --> 00:10:28,067 as well as majority rights and the precious freedom of every Southafrican 148 00:10:29,283 --> 00:10:32,271 And finally Mandela uderstood 149 00:10:32,271 --> 00:10:36,043 the ties that bind the human spirit. 150 00:10:36,874 --> 00:10:40,620 There is a word in Southafrican 151 00:10:40,851 --> 00:10:42,134 Ubuntu 152 00:10:42,350 --> 00:10:48,423 [cheers] 153 00:10:48,654 --> 00:10:53,830 A word that captures Mandela's greatest gift: 154 00:10:53,830 --> 00:10:57,895 his recognition that we are all bound together in ways 155 00:10:57,895 --> 00:11:00,557 that are invisible to the eye 156 00:11:00,557 --> 00:11:03,690 that there is a oneness to humanity 157 00:11:03,690 --> 00:11:07,042 that we achieve ourselves by sharing ourselves with others 158 00:11:07,042 --> 00:11:11,723 and caring for those around us 159 00:11:12,200 --> 00:11:16,262 We can never know how much of this sense was innate in him 160 00:11:16,262 --> 00:11:22,298 or how much was shaped in a dark and solitary cell. 161 00:11:22,775 --> 00:11:27,935 But we remember the gestures -- large and small -- 162 00:11:27,935 --> 00:11:32,902 introducing his jailers as honored guests at an inauguration; 163 00:11:32,902 --> 00:11:37,757 taking a pitch in a springbok uniform; 164 00:11:38,065 --> 00:11:43,688 turning his family's heartbreak into a call to confront HIV-AIDS 165 00:11:43,765 --> 00:11:49,367 that reveal the depths of his empathy and his understanding 166 00:11:49,598 --> 00:11:53,389 He not only embodied ubuntu he taught millions 167 00:11:53,389 --> 00:11:56,973 to find that truth within themselves. 168 00:11:57,666 --> 00:12:00,055 It took a man like Madiba to free 169 00:12:00,055 --> 00:12:03,931 not just the prisoner but the jailer as well 170 00:12:04,192 --> 00:12:06,527 [cheers] 171 00:12:06,527 --> 00:12:08,374 to show that you must trust 172 00:12:08,374 --> 00:12:11,906 others so that they may trust you 173 00:12:11,906 --> 00:12:17,187 to teach that reconciliation is not a matter of ignoring a cruel past 174 00:12:17,187 --> 00:12:25,577 but a means of confronting it with inclusion and generosity and truth 175 00:12:25,854 --> 00:12:28,521 He changed laws 176 00:12:28,521 --> 00:12:32,219 but he also changed hearts 177 00:12:33,896 --> 00:12:36,910 For the people of South Africa 178 00:12:36,910 --> 00:12:41,864 for those he inspired around the globe 179 00:12:41,864 --> 00:12:46,079 Madiba's passing is rightly a time of mourning 180 00:12:46,079 --> 00:12:50,612 and a time to celebrate a heroic life 181 00:12:51,305 --> 00:12:54,588 But I believe it should also prompt in each of us 182 00:12:54,588 --> 00:12:58,595 a time for self-reflection with honesty 183 00:12:58,595 --> 00:13:02,557 regardless of our station or circumstance 184 00:13:02,557 --> 00:13:05,014 we must ask: "How well have I applied 185 00:13:05,014 --> 00:13:08,321 his lessons in my own life?" 186 00:13:12,348 --> 00:13:15,232 It's a question I ask myself 187 00:13:15,232 --> 00:13:18,972 as a man and as a president 188 00:13:19,265 --> 00:13:22,178 We know that white South Africa 189 00:13:22,178 --> 00:13:28,207 the United States had overcome centuries of racial subjugation 190 00:13:29,100 --> 00:13:31,607 As was true here, it took sacrifice 191 00:13:31,607 --> 00:13:33,621 the sacrifices of countless people 192 00:13:33,621 --> 00:13:36,221 -- known and unknown -- 193 00:13:36,221 --> 00:13:39,363 to see the dawn of a new day 194 00:13:39,810 --> 00:13:42,999 Michelle and I are beneficiaries of that struggle 195 00:13:42,999 --> 00:13:46,937 [cheers] 196 00:13:46,937 --> 00:13:54,104 But in America and in South Africa and in countries all around the globe 197 00:13:54,104 --> 00:13:57,273 we cannot allow our progress to cloud the fact 198 00:13:57,273 --> 00:14:00,946 that our work is not yet done 199 00:14:02,146 --> 00:14:06,811 The struggles that follow the victory of formal equality 200 00:14:06,811 --> 00:14:12,447 or universal franchise may not be as filled with drama and moral clarity 201 00:14:12,447 --> 00:14:13,959 as those that came before 202 00:14:13,959 --> 00:14:16,380 but they are not less important 203 00:14:17,011 --> 00:14:19,293 For around the world today 204 00:14:19,293 --> 00:14:24,022 we still see children suffering from hunger and disease 205 00:14:24,022 --> 00:14:26,997 we still see run down schools 206 00:14:26,997 --> 00:14:31,605 we still see young people without prospects for the future. 207 00:14:31,605 --> 00:14:33,449 Around the world today 208 00:14:33,449 --> 00:14:37,014 men and women are still imprisoned for their political beliefs 209 00:14:37,014 --> 00:14:39,946 and are still persecuted for what they look like 210 00:14:39,946 --> 00:14:42,518 and how they worship, and who they love 211 00:14:42,518 --> 00:14:44,767 and that is happening today 212 00:14:45,074 --> 00:14:50,899 [cheers] 213 00:14:51,130 --> 00:14:56,799 And so we, too, must act on behalf of justice 214 00:14:57,046 --> 00:15:00,956 We, too, must act on behalf of peace 215 00:15:01,434 --> 00:15:04,274 There are too many people who happily embrace 216 00:15:04,274 --> 00:15:07,712 Madiba's legacy of racial reconciliation 217 00:15:07,712 --> 00:15:11,445 but passionately resist even modest reforms. 218 00:15:11,445 --> 00:15:16,936 that would challange chronic property and growing inequality 219 00:15:17,213 --> 00:15:20,340 There are too many leaders who claim solidarity 220 00:15:20,340 --> 00:15:22,321 with Madiba's struggle for freedom 221 00:15:22,321 --> 00:15:25,948 but do not tolerate the same for their own people 222 00:15:26,285 --> 00:15:32,863 [cheers] 223 00:15:33,110 --> 00:15:35,698 And there are too many of us 224 00:15:35,698 --> 00:15:38,485 too many of us on the side lines 225 00:15:38,485 --> 00:15:42,519 comfortable in complacency or cynicism 226 00:15:42,519 --> 00:15:46,758 when our voices must be heard 227 00:15:47,082 --> 00:15:50,091 The questions we face today 228 00:15:50,091 --> 00:15:54,024 how to promote equality and justice; 229 00:15:54,024 --> 00:15:57,622 how to uphold freedom and human rights; 230 00:15:57,622 --> 00:16:01,123 how to end a conflict and sectarian war 231 00:16:01,123 --> 00:16:05,040 these things do not have easy answers 232 00:16:05,040 --> 00:16:07,833 But there were no easy answers 233 00:16:07,833 --> 00:16:13,156 in front of that child born in World War I 234 00:16:13,156 --> 00:16:15,133 Nelson Mandela reminds us that 235 00:16:15,133 --> 00:16:19,611 it always seems impossible until it is done 236 00:16:19,611 --> 00:16:22,824 South Africa shows that it is true 237 00:16:22,824 --> 00:16:26,275 South Africa shows we can change 238 00:16:26,275 --> 00:16:29,736 that we can choose a world defined not by our differences 239 00:16:29,736 --> 00:16:31,768 but by our common hopes 240 00:16:31,768 --> 00:16:35,002 we can choose a world defined not by conflict 241 00:16:35,002 --> 00:16:39,216 but by peace and justice and opportunity 242 00:16:39,216 --> 00:16:45,109 [cheers] 243 00:16:45,525 --> 00:16:47,725 We will never see 244 00:16:47,725 --> 00:16:51,945 the likes of Nelson Mandela again 245 00:16:52,376 --> 00:16:55,633 But let me say that the young people of Africa 246 00:16:55,633 --> 00:17:00,358 and the young people around the world 247 00:17:00,358 --> 00:17:05,013 you, too, can make his life's work your own 248 00:17:06,198 --> 00:17:10,415 Over thirty years ago, while still a student 249 00:17:10,415 --> 00:17:13,943 I learned of Nelson Mandela 250 00:17:13,943 --> 00:17:18,523 and the struggles taking place in this beautiful land 251 00:17:18,523 --> 00:17:21,606 and it stirred something in me 252 00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:24,769 it woke me up to my responsibilities 253 00:17:24,769 --> 00:17:27,246 -- to others and to myself -- 254 00:17:27,246 --> 00:17:30,309 and set me on an improbable journey 255 00:17:30,309 --> 00:17:33,081 that finds me here today 256 00:17:34,897 --> 00:17:39,156 and while I will always fall short of Madiba's example 257 00:17:39,156 --> 00:17:42,692 he makes me want to be a better man 258 00:17:42,692 --> 00:17:44,449 [cheers] 259 00:17:44,449 --> 00:17:46,243 He speaks 260 00:17:46,243 --> 00:17:49,124 to what is best inside us 261 00:17:51,448 --> 00:17:55,252 After this great liberator is laid to rest 262 00:17:55,252 --> 00:17:59,716 and when we return to our cities and villages 263 00:17:59,716 --> 00:18:03,558 and rejoined our daily routines 264 00:18:03,558 --> 00:18:06,924 let us search for his strength 265 00:18:06,924 --> 00:18:11,157 let us search for his largeness of spirit 266 00:18:11,157 --> 00:18:15,394 somewhere inside of ourselves 267 00:18:15,394 --> 00:18:18,565 and when the night grows dark 268 00:18:18,565 --> 00:18:22,243 when injustice weights heavy on our hearts 269 00:18:22,243 --> 00:18:26,572 when our best laid plans seem beyond our reach 270 00:18:26,572 --> 00:18:29,305 let us think of Madiba 271 00:18:29,305 --> 00:18:32,736 and the words that brought him comfort 272 00:18:32,736 --> 00:18:36,167 within the 4 walls of his cell: 273 00:18:36,167 --> 00:18:39,599 "It matters not how streight the gate, 274 00:18:39,599 --> 00:18:45,232 how charged the punishment the scroll 275 00:18:45,232 --> 00:18:48,356 I am the master of my fate, 276 00:18:48,356 --> 00:18:51,397 I am the captain of my soul." 277 00:18:52,228 --> 00:18:55,034 What a magnificent soul it was 278 00:18:55,358 --> 00:18:57,519 We will miss him deeply 279 00:18:58,073 --> 00:19:00,830 May God bless the memory of Nelson Mandela. 280 00:19:01,091 --> 00:19:04,786 May God bless the people of South Africa 281 00:19:05,078 --> 00:19:16,906 [cheers]