Mandela's Global imprint
As South Africa reacts to Nelson Mandela’s death, people further afield have been reflecting on his political imprint across a continent.
A man from Nairobi, Kenya recounts to euronews his memories of Mandela. “We have lost a great deal in the international political field and I will urge the African leaders to emulate the late Nelson Mandela, though it is rare to have one if there is any I do not see who is comparable to the late Nelson Mandela.”
People may well struggle to find a comparable contemporary, a mantra of reconciliation over retribution set Mandela apart
A pastor in Democratic republic of Congo praises the lessons that can still be gleamed from the life of South Africa’s first black president.
“He didn’t try to take revenge after his time in prison so it’s a lesson for white people, a model of non-segregation. He never wanted to make a difference between white and black, everyone was human.”
Internationally Mandela has long been championed for transitioning South Africa from decades of White minority rule, all in relative peace.
His actions as a president, enshrined to a global audience.
In Paris, outside the South African embassy, a small shrine to Mandela has been started. After leaving flowers for the late leader one tearful woman noted Mandela’s impact.
“It was important to show that thanks to Mandela, in South Africa today, one can walk along the street with a white person, a black person, without being taken aside by the police.”
Years of struggle against oppression and racial segregation helped to make Mandela such an identifiable figure with those fighting their own civil rights battles.
In Harlem, New York, an area familiar with civil rights strife, people gathered to say their goodbye’s. Troy Gibson, New York City Resident: “ The man holds a great value of, I would say, prestige as far as me as an African-American. We all struggle but for someone who has gone through what he has gone through you know, it’s a learning process and I think he’s taught a lot of people a lot of different, you know a lot of things as far as just you know being mentally strong”.
