The funeral of Nelson Mandela

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 15 December 2023

⏱️ 16 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On 15 December 2013, South Africa held the funeral of Nelson Mandela who led the struggle in defeating apartheid and became the country’s first black president.

His ancestral home in the village of Qunu in South Africa’s Eastern Cape hosted 60 world leaders including four United States presidents and two UN secretary generals.

It was the first state funeral held by the country.

Nelson Mandela’s eldest child Dr Makaziwe Mandela tells Josephine McDermott how it took eight years to plan and why it makes her proud to remember that day.

(Photo: Candles are lit under a portrait of Nelson Mandela at his funeral service. Credit: Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:29.0	The Global Story with Smart Takes and Fresh Perspective, on One Big News Story, every Monday to Friday from the BBC World Service.
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0:47.0	You're listening to the Witness History podcast from the BBC World Service with me Josephine McDermott.
1:00.0	Nelson Mandela died at the age of 95 on the 5th of December 2013.
1:05.9	He played a crucial part in ending apartheid in South Africa.
1:10.2	After nearly 30 years in prison for opposing racist laws, he became the country's first black president.
1:17.0	His eldest child, Dr Macazewa Mandela, reflects on the planning that was required to make sure he had the state
1:24.3	funeral fitting for a globally revered statesman.
1:27.4	What about Tibam Tagalogu is the VIP. A very important prince, a very important
1:39.4	patriot, a very important politician, a very important prisoner, a very important philosopher, a very important
1:49.1	pragmatist, a very important president, a very important pensioner, a very important patient, a very important
1:57.0	papa.
2:00.0	That's the voice of Zalanim Kiva at Nelson Mandela's funeral on the 15th of December 2013.
2:08.0	He had the role of Praise Singer, which is someone who performed ceremonial poems at important events.
2:14.0	In 1964, Nelson Mandela was jailed for life
2:20.0	for challenging the racist regime which sanctioned racial segregation.
	...

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