Speaker

The speaker of this eulogy at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service is Barack Obama, who at the time of the speech was the US President.

Nelson Mandela was South Africa’s first black President and Barack Obama was the first African-American President of the US. Moreover, Obama mentions in his speech that he was inspired by Mandela’s struggle for racial equality:

Over 30 years ago, while still a student, I learned of Nelson Mandela and the struggles taking place in this beautiful land, and it stirred something in me. It woke me up to my responsibilities to others and to myself, and it set me on an improbable journey that finds me here today. (ll. 191-196)

Furthermore, he mentions how he and his wife are the beneficiaries of the racial struggle in the US: “…the sacrifice of countless people, known and unknown, to see the dawn of a new day. Michelle and I are beneficiaries of that struggle.” (ll. 148-151)

At the time of the speech, Barack Obama had just won his second presidential elections in the US (a month before) and would go on to serve a second term as US President.

As a member of the Democratic Party in the US, Obama’s orientation was in line with the party's policy, focused on social e...