JOHANNESBURG (CNN) — Presidents and prime ministers, celebrities and royals joined tens of thousands of South Africans to pay tribute to Nelson Mandela on Tuesday, in a memorial service celebrating a man seen as a global symbol of reconciliation.
In what has been billed as one of the largest gatherings of global leaders in recent history, world leaders from President Barack Obama to Cuba’s Raul Castro gathered alongside street sweepers, actors and religious figures to pay tribute to the revered statesman who died last Thursday, aged 95.
Despite the heavy rain, the atmosphere inside Johannesburg ‘s FNB stadium was celebratory, with people dancing, blowing “vuvuzela” plastic horns and singing songs from the anti-apartheid struggle.
