納爾遜·曼德拉的追悼會——宿敵聚首
Cuba's president, Raúl Castro, will join Barack Obama and South Africa's president, Jacob Zuma, among the speakers paying tribute to Nelson Mandela on Tuesday at what has been described as the biggest funeral in history.
The memorial service in Johannesburg, in effect the first leg of a funeral that culminates with Mandela's burial on Sunday, will also include interfaith prayers, eulogies by four of Mandela's grandchildren and speeches by the presidents of Brazil, Namibia, India and Cuba, along with the vice-president of China. Zuma will deliver the keynote address.
For dignitaries attending the service, not least Obama and Castro, a potential diplomatic minefield awaits. But Zelda la Grange, Mandela's personal assistant for more than a decade, told Reuters: "Tomorrow, people should all be honouring their relationship with Madiba. If it means shaking hands with the enemy, yes, I would like to see that. That is what Nelson Mandela was and actually is – bringing people together despite their differences."
The cover of the official memorial programme bears the title "State memorial service for the late former president Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela" above a picture of South Africa's first black president smiling and wearing a characteristically flamboyant shirt. Inside the programme is an obituary over two pages that concludes: "Mr Mandela is survived by his wife, Graca, three daughters, 18 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren."
Obama and his wife, Michelle, will be joined by the former presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George W Bush. Also attending are David Cameron, Ban Ki-moon, assorted princes and princesses, and celebrities including Bono, Oprah Winfrey and the Spice Girls. Mandela dubbed the last his "heroes" after meeting the pop group 16 years ago.
Clayson Monyela, South Africa's head of public diplomacy, tweeted: "Pope John Paul's funeral brought together 70 heads of state & 14 leaders of other regions. With #Mandela we're already over 91 & counting."
On Monday workers were inside the 95,000-capacity FNB stadium welding scaffolding for a stage and installing bulletproof glass to protect foreign leaders. Ground crews cut the grass in front of the venue, dubbed the "calabash" because of its shape. The stadium, where Mandela made his last public appearance, at the closing ceremony of the 2010 football World Cup, is expected to fill rapidly on Tuesday, posing a huge security and logistical challenge for South African authorities.
All police leave has been cancelled and thousands of officers called up to direct traffic, protect mourners and help the bodyguards of visiting dignitaries.
Government minister Collins Chabane said officials could not guess how many people would attend or would try to enter the stadium. "Once we see that the numbers are becoming unmanageable … access will be denied," he said.
Chabane appealed to those who were turned away to "respond with decency", pointing out that spillover venues with big screens had been set up.
The government will be seeking to avoid a repeat of the disarray around last year's centenary celebrations of the African National Congress (ANC). African leaders were reportedly forced to go shopping when they found no food or bedding at their accommodation. Uganda's president, Yoweri Museveni, apparently had to send for some grilled chicken from Nando's.
Chabane said 91 heads of state and government had confirmed their attendance by noon on Monday but dismissed predictions that officials would be overwhelmed. "For those who predict there will be chaos, we're used to it. It's not new."
Soon after the end of racial apartheid, Collins noted, South Africa had hosted the rugby World Cup, football's Africa Cup of Nations and numerous other showpiece events. "People said there would be chaos. It didn't happen."
He added: "Our people, our supporters are with us to make sure this is a success. We'll prove them [the doubters] wrong."
A joint taskforce of police, diplomats and intelligence service personnel has been in talks with the foreign delegations who plan to attend the ceremony, due to start at 11am and finish at 3pm.
Both Obama and Cameron are understood to be arriving on Tuesday morning. Of the US presidents attending, only Clinton, who was close to Mandela, is thought to be staying long enough to attend Sunday's burial in Qunu, in Eastern Cape province. Cameron will not be present there but Prince Charles will attend.
The clamour to honour Mandela looks set to potentially eclipse the funerals of Winston Churchill, Diana, Princess of Wales, John F Kennedy and Pope John Paul – a big organisational ask for any country. Brooks Spector, a Johannesburg-based former US diplomat, said: "Apart from the UN, this looks like the biggest gathering of heads of state there has ever been. It's a rare event that gets the sitting US president and three ex-presidents together except an inauguration. The South African government was preparing in many ways but the tidal wave might have surprised even those preparing."
Asked whether South Africa can cope, Spector replied: "It'll work because it has to work. They won't leave a king on the side of a highway trying to thumb a lift to the FNB Stadium. When they put their minds to it and national honour is at stake, they pull it off. Clearly national honour is at stake on this one.
"This is a shared national moment. It's going to be unique in this nation's history. There's a lot of goodwill and a lot of energy directed towards getting it right."
Mandela's body will lie in state in the capital, Pretoria, on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday before being flown to Qunu, the village where he grew up. Officials said his burial ceremony would run from 9am to noon on Sunday, with the guest list not exceeding 5,000 people.
No heads of state would be turned away, they added, but they have generally been discouraged from attending because of the daunting logistics in the remote rural area. More than 1,500 journalists have been accredited for the events.
Across the country on Monday, South Africans continued to celebrate the life of the anti-apartheid hero. Just after dawn a two-mile-long motorcade of cars full of ANC supporters left Cape Town for the former Victor Verster prison, the last jail where Mandela was held and where, emerging alongside his former wife Winnie with his fist raised triumphantly, he marked his transformation from revolutionary fighter to elder statesman.
Inside the on-site house, a candle burned on the table where a historic settlement was reached between Mandela and the then president, FW de Klerk. "I'm feeling emotional, sad, but also honoured to have been alive during his lifetime," said Jo-Anne Aranes, a cleaner whose car was plastered in the green, gold and black of the ANC flag. Her 10-year-old daughter had accompanied her. "It's extra-special to me because my daughter is here to learn our history," she said.據英國《衛報》12月9日報道，古巴主席勞爾·卡斯特羅將於12月10日與美國總統奧巴馬及南非總統祖馬一起，在曼德拉的葬禮上發表追悼講話，這將是有史以來規模最大的一場葬禮。
此次追悼會在約翰內斯堡舉行，儀式第一部分包括不同宗教信仰者進行祈禱並默哀，曼德拉四個孫子分別致頌詞，巴西，納米比亞，印度和古巴的首腦及中國副主席將發表講話，南非總統祖馬將會做主旨發言。整個追悼活動將在週日曼德拉下葬時達到最高潮。
在出席追悼會的政要中，尤其值得關注的是奧巴馬和勞爾·卡斯特羅，一個潛在的外交“雷區”或將在葬禮上出現。但是擔任曼德拉私人助手十幾年的塞爾達·格蘭吉向路透社表示：“明天，人們都會前來紀念與曼德拉的情誼。如果這意味着要和敵人握手，我倒是很願意看到。這也是曼德拉一直在做的事——讓人們聚在一起，即便他們之間存在着分歧。”
官方追悼儀式的主題爲“前總統納爾遜·羅利赫拉赫拉·曼德拉的國家追悼儀式”，附帶一張這位南非首位黑人總統面帶微笑、着華麗襯衫的照片。悼念單內還有兩頁的訃告，裏面寫着：“陪伴曼德拉先生的家人——妻子格拉薩，3個女兒，18個孫子孫女以及12個重孫。”
奧巴馬及夫人米歇爾，連同美國前總統吉米·卡特，比爾·克林頓及喬治·W·布什將一同出席。英國首相大衛·卡梅倫，聯合國祕書長潘基文，查爾斯王儲以及包括U2樂隊主唱波諾、美國脫口秀女王奧普拉·溫弗瑞、辣妹合唱團等各界名流也將到場。16年前會見該流行樂團後，曼德拉稱她們爲他的“英雄”。
南非外交部發言人克萊森·孟雅拉發表推特表示：“約翰·保羅教皇的葬禮有70名國家首腦及14個地區的領導人出席。而出席曼德拉葬禮的政要人數，我們統計的數字已經超過了90並且還在增加。”
12月9日，工作人員們在可容納9.5萬人的FNB體育館中焊接高臺支架，安裝防彈玻璃以保護各國領導人的安全。地勤人員修建會場前的草坪，就其形狀將之稱爲“葫蘆”。曼德拉最後一次公開露面就是在該體育館2010年足球世界盃的閉幕式上。據估計，週二該體育館將會擠滿悼念人羣，這也爲南非政府帶來巨大的安全和後勤挑戰。
所有的警察休假都已被取消，成千上萬名警官被派遣指揮交通，保護送葬者的安全，併爲來訪政要的保鏢提供幫助。
總統府部長柯林斯·沙巴納表示官方難以估測將有多少人出席或試圖進去體育館。“一旦發現人數難以控制，我們就會關閉入口，”他說。
沙巴納呼籲那些被“打發走”的人要禮貌些，並指出會場已經掛起了大屏幕。
政府將努力避免去年非洲人國民大會百年慶典時的混亂不再發生。據報道，當時，看到自己的住處沒有食物和牀鋪，非洲的領導人們不得不親自去買。烏干達的總統穆塞維尼不得不從Nando`s烤雞店購買一些烤雞。
沙巴納表示91個國家及政府首腦已確認他們會在週一中午之前抵達，但是他不認爲官員會過多。“對於那些預測會發生混亂的人，我們已經習慣了，這並不新鮮。”
沙巴納強調說，種族隔離結束後不久，南非舉辦過橄欖球世界盃，非洲國家杯足球賽以及衆多其他重大活動。“人們都說會發生混亂，但從沒發生過啊。”
他補充說：“我們的人民，我們的支持者都會和我們一起確保一切順利。我們會證明質疑者是錯的。”
一隻由警察，外交及情報人員組成的聯合工作組一直在與想要參加儀式的外國代表團進行商談，儀式將於中午11點開始，下午3點結束。
奧巴馬和卡梅倫都表示會在週二上午抵達。在幾位出席的美國總統中，只有與曼德拉十分親近的克林頓預計會停留到週日的葬禮結束之後，葬禮將在位於東開普省的庫努舉行。
曼德拉葬禮的榮耀甚至可能超越丘吉爾首相，戴安娜王妃，威爾士王子，約翰·F·肯尼迪及約翰·保羅教皇的葬禮——來自各個國家的集體呼籲。前美國外交官布魯克斯·斯佩克特說：“除了聯合國，這應該是有史以來各國首腦最大的一次集會了。而除了總統就職儀式，讓美國現任總統和3爲前總統聚在一起也十分罕見。南非政府正以多種方式進行準備，但是這次活動帶來的浪潮可能會讓這一切的準備都大爲震驚啊。”
被問及南非是否能夠應對時，布魯克斯答道：“南非政府能夠應對，因爲他們沒有退路。他們不會把一位國王留在高速公路旁，讓他自己搭便車到FNB體育館。當他們全力投入進去，事關國家榮譽，他們必須圓滿完成，顯然，國家的榮譽掌握在他們手裏。”
“這是一個事關整個民族的時刻。它在整個民族的歷史上也是獨一無二的。爲了能夠圓滿完成，人們付出了很多心血和努力。”
週三到週五，曼德拉的遺體將會被安放在首都比勒陀利亞。庫努是曼德拉長大的村莊，官員們表示他的葬禮將會於週日早9點到中午舉行，出席嘉賓將不超過5000人。
“我們不會拒絕國家首腦出席”，他們補充說，但是因爲偏遠農村地區的後勤問題他們也表示不倡導出席。1500多名記者已獲官方認可出席葬禮。
12月9日，整個國家的人民會繼續紀念反種族隔離的英雄的一生。黎明過後，一支車上滿載非洲人國民大會支持者的的汽車車隊離開了開普敦，前往前維克多·沃斯特監獄——曼德拉被關押的最後一個監獄，也是在那裏，他和前妻溫妮一起舉起拳頭慶祝勝利，他將此標記爲一個革命戰士到政界元老的過渡期。
屋子裏面，桌上點着蠟燭，也就是在這張桌前，曼德拉和當時在任的總統德克勒克達成了歷史性和解。“我特別難過，傷感，但是也很驕傲能夠活在他的時代，”清潔工人Jo-Anne Aranes說道，她的車上貼着綠金黑三色的非洲人國民大會的旗幟。她10歲的女兒在她身旁。“這對我尤其特別，因爲我的女兒可以在這學習我們的歷史，”她說道。
