Presenting the inaugural Nelson Mandela Lecture to an auditorium packed with foreign and local dignitaries, Clinton praised Mandela as a “gift to humanity.’’ Clinton and his wife, Hillary, joined the audience as they sang “Happy Birthday’’ to the former South African President, whose birthday was on Friday.
In his speech, Clinton laid out a three-step plan he said Western nations could use to help raise Africa out of poverty. It included relieving foreign debt, increasing trade and helping in wealth creation [Anyone know what that is?] to “unleash huge amounts of resources’’ that could be freed for development.
Speaking to an audience that included retired Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, musician Bono and politicians from across South Africa, Clinton was interrupted several times by applause during a speech in which he compared Mandela to Mahatma Gandhi. [Mandela liked pre-pubescent girls too?]
“In all of history there’s a story of struggle. In my lifetime there are only two people who have made that personal journey. The one is Mahatma Gandhi and his worthy successor, Nelson Mandela,” Clinton declared. He spoke at length about his family’s attachment to Mandela, which began when he and his daughter Chelsea watched an early morning television broadcast of Mandela “walking to his freedom” in 1990.
“I am only his third biggest fan in my family,” Clinton said, bringing a wide smile to Mandela’s face who received a hug from Hillary Clinton. [Ewww]
Clinton also spent considerable time outlining what he felt were the continent’s priorities_ fighting AIDS, education and democracy. Of the 42 million people worldwide infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, 29 million live in sub-Saharan Africa. AIDS has already killed more than 17 million in sub-Saharan Africa and more than 11 million African children have lost at least one parent to the pandemic. “We can’t work for Africa, or against Africa, but must work with Africa,” Clinton said.
He is expected to attend a banquet Saturday night where some 1,600 guests will pay tribute to Mandela. The guest list has been kept secret, but local media say it includes Barbra Streisand and Robert De Niro, as well as several world leaders and royals.-AP/AFP Africa Online