Last farewell to Nelson Mandela

Yesterday, millions of people from around the world, besides music and film celebrities and leaders of hundreds of countries, paid tribute to former president Nelson Mandela at the FNB stadium in Soweto.

“Nelson Mandela, there is no one like you,” chanted the grandstand full of followers of the father of free South Africa, who did not mind the pouring rain that fell over Johannesburg.

The church service began with an interfaith prayer, as Madiba requested on his last wishes. The prayer pulpit was occupied by delegates of Jews, Hindus, Muslims and Christians.

After a prayer for the soul of Mandela, moment when the audience, mostly dressed in colourful traditional costumes, responded singing and clapping, with  thousands of posters with portraits of Mandela, and banners with traditional African colours.

With the arrival of the Mandela family, the people cheered his widow, Graça Machel. Minutes later came Winnie Mandela, Mandela’s former wife, who hugged and kissed Machel affectionately.

Then, different rulers as U.S. President Barack Obama with his wife Michelle entered the premises. The former U.S. leader Bill Clinton, who shared space with his counterparts Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush. Brazil’s president Dilma Rousseff and Cuban Raul Castro also highlighted the work of Madiba. The ceremony ended with a long speech of the president of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, who sometimes received boos from the audience.

The coffin of the former president will parade from today until Friday across the streets of Pretoria. Then the burning chapel of Nelson Mandela will be held during those days.. On Sunday will be held the State funeral in Qunu, where he grew up and asked to be buried.

As a historical moment, the rulers of the United States and Cuba shook hands in public after 50 years of enmity.

An embarrassing fact during the tribute to Mandela was the attitude of Obama, danish Helle Thorning-Schmidt, and British David Cameron, who during the ceremony took photos of themselves (selfie) from their cell phones.