December 18-24, 2013
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MANDELA LAID TO REST BY E. FLORES
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L
ast Sunday the president of South Africa led tributes to Nelson Mandela, describing him as a "beacon of hope", as the anti-apartheid hero was laid to rest in a family plot. Dignitaries from around the world gathered for the state funeral of South Africa's first black president (1994-1999) in Qunu, the remote village where Mandela or ‘Madiba’ as he became known, grew up. More than 4,000 people, including Mandela's family members, African leaders and several heads of state, attended the final farewell service in a specially erected marquee. After the ceremony, his casket was carried by the military, accompanied by family and friends, up a hill to the graveside. The burial marked the end of a week of memorial events for Madiba, which have attracted thousands of South Africans and world leaders. The Prince of Wales, who arrived in South Africa that morning, attended the service along with prominent US civil rights activist Reverend Jesse Jackson, entrepreneur Richard Branson and broadcaster Oprah Winfrey. Addressing the congregation, South African president Jacob Zuma said: "It is the end of an extraordinary journey that began 95 years ago. It is the end of 95 glorious years, of a freedom fighter, a dedicated and humble servant of the people of South Africa, as a fountain of wisdom, a pillar of strength, and a beacon of hope for all those fighting for a just and equitable world order. Your long walk to freedom has ended in a physical sense, our own journey continues. We have to continue working to build the kind of society you worked tirelessly to construct. South Africa will continue to rise."
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Weekly, Year 01, Number 12, 16 Pages