Thousands of diplomats, hundreds of current/former presidents, global icons and celebrities are today in South Africa to pay homage to the greatest man of the last century. The official state funeral of Nelson Mandela takes place today in Johannesburg in what is expected to be the largest state funeral of our generation. The South African authorities are expecting a gruelling schedule having already received over 100 presidents, prime ministers and monarchs from around the world.
From Africa, high profile figures such as Zimbabwe’s president Robert Mugabe, Nigeria’s Jonathan Goodluck, Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni and Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta were some of the first African presidents to arrive monday evening. From Europe, David Cameron and all his (living) predecessors are also in Johansburg while the Swedish princess, Spanish, Norwagian, English prince’s and both the Belgian and Dutch Kings are all present. In North America, president Barack Obama and all his living predecessors (Except Bush senior who is now too old for long distance travel) are also in South Africa while Canada’s prime minister Stephen Harper and three other former prime ministers are all representing Canada in Johannesburg.
Even in death, Mandela has been able to pull out an unprecedented convergence of the world’s most powerful leaders, past and present, including the current and former UN secretary generals, Ban Ki Moon and Kofi Annan. It is rare for leaders from different spectrums to be all under one roof at the same time. Today in Johannesburg, you’ll find Obama, David Cameron, Stephen Harper and the prince of England under one roof with their counterparts from China, Iran, Zimbabwe, Cuba, Israel and even the Palestinian territories. Earlier monday afternoon, the US state department confirmed that President Obama will be one of the chosen delegates to give a key note speech, meaning he will share the same stage with Cuba’s president Raul Castro. A miracle in itself.
South African department of international relations and cooperation issued a list (check below) of all the worlds heads of state who will be in attendance. In Africa, Paul Kagame of Rwanda is a notable absentee while XI Jinping of China is also missing. The official program will be administered in the soccer city stadium (FNB), which hosted the 2010 world cup final and boosts a capacity of 95, 000 people. FNB stadium is located in Nasrec, bordering Soweto where the apartheid uprising first sprung from.
Until we meet again, good bye Madiba.
Amandla, Awethu!
@RasMutabaruka
| Afghanistan, His Excellency Hamid Karzai, President | Mozambique, President of Mozambique, HE Armando Emilio Guebuza |
| Algeria, His Excellency Mr Abdelkader Bensalah, Speaker of the Council of the Nation (Senate) – rank above the Prime Minister | Namibia, His Excellency Hifikepunye Pohamba, President |
| Angola, His Excellency Mr Manuel Vicente, Vice President | Niger, His Excellency Issoufou Mahamdou, President |
| Argentina, Mr Amado Boudou, Acting President of Argentina | New Zealand,  Right Hon John Key, Prime Minister |
| Australia,  His Excellency Mr Tony Abbott, MP, Prime Minister | Nigeria, His Excellency Goodluck Jonathan, President |
| Bahamas, Right Honourable Perry Christie, Prime Minister | Niger, His Excellency Mahamadou, President of Niger |
| Bangladesh, His Excellency Mr Md. Abdul Hamid MD ABDUL, President | Norway, His Royal Highness Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway |
| Belgium, His Royal Highness King Philippe | Pakistan, His Excellency Mr Mamnoon Hussain, President |
| Benin, His Excellency Boni Yayi, President | Palestinian State, His Excellency Mahmoud Abbas, President |
| Botswana, His Excellency Lt Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama, President | Portugal, His Excellency, Anibal Cavaco Silva, President |
| Brazil, Her Excellency Dilma Rousseff, President | Saudi Arabia, His Royal Highness Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Crown Prince |
| Burundi, His Excellency Pierre Nkurunziza, President | Saharawi Republic, His Excellency Mr Mohamed Abdelaziz, President |
| Canada, His Excellency Stephen Harper, Prime Minister | Senegal, His Excellency Macky Sall, President |
| CHAD, His Excellency Mr Idriss Deby Itno, President | Serbia, His Excellency Tomislav Nikolic, President |
| China, His Excellency Li Yuanchao, Vice President, | Seychelles, His Excellency Mr James Alix MICHEL |
| COMORES, His Excellency Dr Ikiliou Dhoinine, President | Spain, His Royal Highness Felipe de Borbon, The Prince of Asturias |
| Congo (Republic of the Congo ), His Excellency Mr Denis Sassou-Nguesso, President | Sri Lanka, His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa, President |
| Sudan, His Excellency Bakri Hassan Salih, Vice President | |
| Congo (Democratic Republic of Congo), His Excellency Joseph Kabila, President | Suriname, His Excellency Desire Delano Bouterse, President |
| Cote d Ivoire, His Excellency President Allassane Ouattara, President | Slovenia, His Excellency Pahor, President |
| Croatia, His Excellency Josipovic Ivo, President | South Sudan, His Excellency General Salva Kir Mayardit, President |
| Cuba, His Excellency Raul Castro Ruz, President | Sweden, His Excellency Fredrik Reinfeldt, Prime Minister and Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria. |
| Denmark, His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Federick | Switzerland, His Excellency Mr Ulrich Maurer, President |
| Djibouti, His Excellency Ismail Omar Guelleh, President | Swaziland, His Excellency Dr Sibusiso Dlamini, Prime Minister |
| Ethiopia, His Excellency Ato Hailemariam Dessalegn, Prime Minister | Suriname, His Excellency Desire Delano Bouterse, President |
| Equatorial Guinea, His Excellency Mr Obiang Mbasogo, President | Tanzania, His Excellency Dr Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, President |
| France, His Excellency, Francois Hollande, President | Timor-Leste, His Excellency Kay Rala Xanana, Prime Minister |
| Finland, His Excellency Sauli Niinisto, President | Tunisia, His Excellency Mohamed Moncef Marzouki, President |
| Gabon, His Excellency Ali Bongo Ondimba, President | Trinidad and Tobago, His Excellency Mrs Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Prime Minister |
| The Gambia, His Excellency Prof Alhaji Dr Yahya AJJ Jammeh, President Sheikh | Uganda, His Excellency Yoweri Kagota Museveni, President |
| Ghana, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, President | United Arab Emirates, His Excellency Sheikh Nayahan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture – Special Envoy of the Emir |
| Germany, His Excellency Joachim Gauck, President | United Kingdom, His Royal Highness Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Prime Minister David Cameron |
| United States of America, His Excellency Barack Obama, President | |
| Guyana, His Excellency Donald Ramotar, President | Venezuela, His Excellency Nicolas Maduro Moros, President |
| Guinea, His Excellency Prof Alpha Conde, President | Zimbabwe, His Excellency Robert Gabriel Mugabe, President |
| India, His Excellency Pranab Mukherjee, President | Zambia His Excellency Michael Sata, President |
| Ireland, His Excellency Michael D Higgins, President | Arab States League, His Excellency Amb Samir Hosny, Minister |
| Italy, His Excellency Enrico Letta, Prime Minister | African Union Commission, Her Excellency Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson |
| Japan, His Imperial Highness, Crown Prince Naruhito | Commonwealth, His Excellency, Mr Kamalesh Sharma |
| Jamaica, Her Excellency, Portia Simpson Miller, Prime Minister | European Council, His Excellency Mr Herman van Rompuy, President |
| Jordan, Her Royal Highness, Queen Rania Al Abdullah and His Excellency Prime Minister Dr Abdullah Ensour | Mexico, His Excellency Enrique Pena Nieto President of Mexico |
| Kenya, His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta, President | Mauritius, His Excellency Dr the Honourable Navinchandra, Prime Minister |
| Korea (South), His Excellency Hongwon Chung, Prime Minister | Mauritania, His Excellency Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, President |
| Lebanon, His Excellency Mr Najib Mikati, Prime Minister | Malawi, Her Excellency Joyce Banda, President |
| Lesotho, His Excellency, T Thabane, Prime Minister | Grand Duchy of LUXEMBOURG, His Royal Highness Henry of Luxembourg, The Grand Duke |
| Liberia, Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President |
What an embarassment for our beloved Rwanda? Imagine all the violent and sad history we are supposed to share with South Africa! Imagine that it was in 1994 when Mandela became president and Rwanda was killing itself! Imagine that we, Tutsis lived in exile and in oppression for 30 years and Mandela was in jail for almost the same amount of time while Black South Africans lived under apartheid much longer!
AND NOW, IN A SUCH A SHORT TIME WE ARE SHUNNED BY THE WORLD?????????
HOW ON EARTH DID WE GET HERE?
THE GOD THAT SLEEPS IN RWANDA, PLEASE DON’T SLEEP AGAIN WHEN YOU COME HOME. KEEP A VERY WATCHFUL EYE BECAUSE WE ARE ON A CLIFF AND BEYOND IS BAD. THANK YOU GOD.