Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison and emerged to become South
Africa’s first black leader after white minority rule ended, died in
December 2013 at the age of 95. Obama praised the global icon’s legacy,
saying he had shown that people were bound together by a common humanity
and that a world governed by democratic principles was possible.
Obama warned that advances made since Mandela was in office were
being eroded, with far-right parties emerging in the West that advocate
protectionism, closed borders and barely hidden racial nationalism. Many
developing countries are seeking to emulate China’s model of
authoritarian control combined with capitalism, he said.
“Strong-man politics is ascending suddenly whereby elections and some
pretense of democracy are maintained, a form of it, but those in power
seem to undermine every institution or norm that gives democracy
meaning,” Obama said. “We now stand at a crossroads, a moment in time in
which two very different visions of humanity’s future compete for the
hearts and minds of citizens around the world.”
While there was no guarantee that progressive values would ultimately triumph, there was no place for despondency, Obama said.
“It’s tempting right now to give into cynicism to believe that recent
shifts in global politics are too powerful to push back,” he said. “We
have to resist that cynicism.”
* SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE UPDATE: Get Fin24's top morning business news and opinions in your inbox.