Nelson Mandela memorial: Obama hails 'giant of history'

U.S. President Barack Obama toldtens of thousands of people gathered in a South African soccer stadium today that Nelson Mandela was "thelast great liberator of the20thcentury," a tributeto theman who became a global symbol of reconciliation.

"We will never see the likes of Nelson Mandela again," Obama said during a 20-minute speech atFNB stadium in Soweto, a suburb of Johannesburg where more than 100 world leaders assembled for a memorial honouring the anti-apartheid leader, who died last Thursday at the age of 95.

"He makes me want to be a better man. He speaks to what's best inside of us. After this great liberator is laid to rest, and when we've returned to our cities and villages and rejoined our daily routines, let us search for his strength, let us search for his largeness of spirit somewhere inside of ourselves."

Obama called Mandela"a giant of history."

"In the arc of his life, we see a man who earned his place in history through struggle and shrewdness; through persistence and faith," Obama said as rain poured down on those in attendance.

The speech received a standing ovation.

Harper, 4 ex-PMs in attendance

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and four former Canadian prime ministersattended the ceremony, which was held in the township that was thestronghold of support for the anti-apartheid movementthat Mandela embodied as an activist, a prisoner of the white apartheidregime for 27 years and as the country's first black president.

• On mobile? Watch the memorial here
• South Africans praise the life of 'Madiba'
• Life and times of Nelson Mandela
• Take a look inside Mandela's former prison

Mandela's legacy of reconciliation seemed to be present at the memorial, as Obama shookthe hand of Cuban President Raul Castro on his way to the podium, underscoring a recent warming of relations between their two countries, which do not have formal diplomatic relations.

South African President Jacob Zumacalled Mandela the "father and hero" of South Africa. He announced that the Union Buildings amphitheatre in the capital, Pretoria, where Mandela was sworn in as the country's first black president in 1994 has been renamed Nelson Mandela amphitheatre.

• On mobile? Follow our live blog from CBC correspondents in South Africa here

United NationsSecretary-General Ban Ki-moontold the crowd that Mandela "is at rest, his long walk complete."

"Mr. Mandela was more than one of the greatest pillars of our time," the UN chief said. "He was one of our greatest teachers. He taught by example. He sacrificed so much ... for freedom and equality, for democracy and justice.

Matlhogonolo Mothoagae, a marketing student who arrived hours before the gates to the stadium opened, said she would not have the life she has today if not for Mandela.

"He was jailed so we could have our freedom," she said.

Rohan Laird, the 54-year-old CEO of a health insurance company, said he grew up during white rule in a "privileged position" as a white South African and that Mandela helped whites work through a burden of guilt.

"His reconciliation allowed whites to be released themselves," Laird said. "I honestly don't think the world will see another leader like Nelson Mandela."

Logistical challenge

Workers were still welding at a VIP area as the first spectators arrived, reflecting the enormous logistical challenge of organizing such a huge gathering.

The rain and some transportation problems appeared to keep the crowds away. The 95,000-seat stadium was about half full when the event began at noon local time, an hour late,with the national anthem. At the crowd's peak, the stadium was about two-thirds full.

Some of the dozens of trains reserved to ferry people to thestadium were delayed because ofa power failure. Metrorail servicesspokeswomanLilian Mofokeng said more than 30,000 mourners weresuccessfully transported by train.

Rain sent those who arrived early into the stadium's covered upper deck, and many of the lower seats were empty.

CBC reporter Kim Brunhuber said from Pretoria that anyone looking for a flawless memorial would have been disappointed. An overflow stadium meant for those who couldn't get into the main venue only attracted a handful of people.

"If this wasn't the send-off that befitted the legacy of Nelson Mandela,maybe it was symbolic of the messy but earnest work in progress that is this country,"he said.

The country still has a faltering education system and an uneven record on providing basic services, along with allegations of corruption and cronyism. The gulf remains wide between the wealthy white minority and millions of blacks mired in poverty. The unemployment rate is 25.2 per cent.

Celebratory stadium

Despite the weather and many speakers whom the crowd found uninspiring, themood was still celebratory.

"Africans are saying that when a great man falls, the rain is blessings," CBC reporter Susan Ormistonsaid from the stadium.

People blew onvuvuzelas, the plastic horn that was widely used during the World Cup soccer tournament held in South Africa in 2010.Others sang songs from the era of the decades-long struggle against thesystem of racial segregation.

"It is a moment of sadness celebrated by song and dance, which is what we South Africans do," saidXolisaMadywabe, CEO of a South African investment firm.

CBC reporters in the stadium said the speakers were difficult for the crowd to hear over the stadium sound system, but they let their feelings be known about various world leaders as they were shown on the giant screen.

Obama and his wife, Michelle, were met withcheers, as was Mandela's successor,Thabo Mbeki. However, the crowd booed former U.S. president George W. Bush. Zuma, who gave the keynote address, wasbooed repeatedlyby many of the stadium attendees, though the crowd quieted to listen when he gave his speech.

Many South Africans are unhappy with Zuma because of corruption scandals plaguing his government, though his ruling African National Congress, once led by Mandela, still remains the front-runner ahead of elections next year.

Clarkson regrets no Canadian speaker

Canada's official delegation arrived Monday morning.Harper, his wife,Laureen, and former prime ministers Jean Chrtien, Brian Mulroney,Kim Campbell and Joe Clark wereat the memorial.

Other members of the Canadian delegation included:

• Former governors general AdrienneClarksonandMichalleJean.
• Assembly of First Nations national chief ShawnAtleo.
• Canada's high commissioner to South Africa, GastonBarban, and his wife, Jane.

"We've been listening to the singing of tens of thousands who've gathered here," Atleo said from inside the stadium shortly before the memorial began. "It's a feeling of both sorrow and I think deep pride and the celebration of the life of an incredible man."

Clarksontold CBC News it was unfortunate that Canada did not have a speaker at the memorial, noting that Mulroney and Clark both stood against apartheid when many conservatives did not, and that Mandela was made an honorary Canadian citizen during Chrtien's leadership.

"I feel that Canada is missing here, and I regret it enormously,"she said.

Opposition Leader TomMulcair,four provincial premiers and severalMPswere also in attendance.

Alberta Premier Alison Redford worked for Mandela in the early1990s when South Africa was in transition and developing a newconstitution.

"He was a very tough taskmaster," Redford said as she watchedthe memorial."He always had a sense of humour, and I think that's what kepthim on track."

Raul Castro among speakers

Other speakers included Raul Castro and Chinese Vice-President Li Yuanchao, and the crowd included amix of royalty, statesmenand celebrities.

FrenchPresident Franois Hollande and his predecessor and rival, NicolasSarkozy, arrived together.Mandela's widow, Graca Machel, and former wife WinnieMadikizela-Mandela, were at the stadium, and gave each other a longhug before the ceremonies began. Celebrities included actorCharlize Theron,model Naomi Campbell and U2 singer Bono.

Tuesday was the 20th anniversary of the day Mandela and South Africa's last apartheid-era president, F.W. de Klerk, received the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to endapartheid.

Mandela said in his acceptance speech at the time: "We live with the hope that as she battles to remake herself, South Africa will be like a microcosm of the new world that is striving to be born."

• Sign Nelson Mandela's book of condolences
• How Nelson Mandela found inspiration in Canada
• The Mandela family tree

The soccer stadiumwas also the spot where Mandela made his last public appearance at the closing ceremony of the 2010 World Cup. After the memorial, his body will lie in state for three days at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, once the seat of white power, before burial Sunday in his rural childhood village ofQunuin Eastern Cape province.