by Robin Millard 2 hours, 30 minutes ago
LONDON (AFP) - Former South African president Nelson Mandela was given a hero's welcome as a statue of him was unveiled Wednesday opposite the Houses of Parliament in London.
The 89-year-old, who led the fight against apartheid, was hailed as the "greatest leader of our generation" by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown as the 2.7 metre (nine foot) bronze sculpture took its place in Parliament Square in a vibrant ceremony.
Brown, London Mayor Ken Livingstone, Wendy Woods -- widow of South African anti-apartheid activist Donald Woods, who started the campaign for a statue -- and Lord Richard Attenborough, trustee of the Mandela Statue Fund, unveiled the monument.
"Though this statue is of one man, it should in actual fact symbolise all those who have resisted oppression, especially in my country," Mandela told the multi-cultural crowd on Parliament Square, to wild applause.
"The history of the stuggle in South Africa is rich with the story of heroes and heroines; some of them leaders, some of them followers: all of them deserve to be remembered."
In an impassioned speech, Brown said the sculpture was a beacon of hope.
"He is the most inspiring and greatest leader of our generation," the Scot said.
"Nelson Mandela is one of the most courageous and best-loved men of all time.
"This statue is a beacon of hope. It sends around the world the most powerful of messages: that no injustice can last for ever, that suffering in the cause of freedom will never be in vain, that however long the night of oppression, the dawning of liberty will break through and there is nothing that we, the peoples of the world working together, cannot achieve."
The monument stands alongside figures including Britain's World War II leader Winston Churchill and the 19th anti-slavery president of the United States Abraham Lincoln.
A short film celebrated the achievements of global icon Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison before being freed in 1990 and becoming South Africa's first black leader in 1994 after the fall of apartheid.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner stepped down as South Africa's president in 1999 and from public life in 2004 after being treated for prostate cancer three years earlier.
However, he has since continued to speak out on anti-poverty and human rights issues.
Brown said Mandela's wife, Graca Machel, was also to be honoured -- she will be made a dame for her humanitarian work tackling poverty in Mozambique.
Mandela married Machel, widow of a former president of Mozambique, in 1998 after his divorce from Winnie Mandela.
The site of the statue prompted a rumbling five-year disagreement between officials -- Livingstone wanted it in Trafalgar Square, but the local council disagreed.
It gave its assent to a statue in Parliament Square earlier this year.
Other historical figures with statues in the square include former South African prime minister Jan Smuts.
Mandela said that on his 1962 visit to London with fellow anti-apartheid leader Oliver Tambo, "we had joked that we hope that one day a statue of a black person would be erected here -- alongside that of General Smuts."
The upbeat ceremony concluded with a gospel choir and dancers in colourful costumes.
"It's a great opportunity to see one of my country's best heroes," said Theums Van Vuuren, 27, a security officer dressed in a South Africa rugby union team jersey.
"The statue will be here for always so people will remember our country and a hero in every sense of the word.
"It's a great feeling."
LONDON (AFP) - Former South African president Nelson Mandela was given a hero's welcome as a statue of him was unveiled Wednesday opposite the Houses of Parliament in London.
The 89-year-old, who led the fight against apartheid, was hailed as the "greatest leader of our generation" by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown as the 2.7 metre (nine foot) bronze sculpture took its place in Parliament Square in a vibrant ceremony.
Brown, London Mayor Ken Livingstone, Wendy Woods -- widow of South African anti-apartheid activist Donald Woods, who started the campaign for a statue -- and Lord Richard Attenborough, trustee of the Mandela Statue Fund, unveiled the monument.
"Though this statue is of one man, it should in actual fact symbolise all those who have resisted oppression, especially in my country," Mandela told the multi-cultural crowd on Parliament Square, to wild applause.
"The history of the stuggle in South Africa is rich with the story of heroes and heroines; some of them leaders, some of them followers: all of them deserve to be remembered."
In an impassioned speech, Brown said the sculpture was a beacon of hope.
"He is the most inspiring and greatest leader of our generation," the Scot said.
"Nelson Mandela is one of the most courageous and best-loved men of all time.
"This statue is a beacon of hope. It sends around the world the most powerful of messages: that no injustice can last for ever, that suffering in the cause of freedom will never be in vain, that however long the night of oppression, the dawning of liberty will break through and there is nothing that we, the peoples of the world working together, cannot achieve."
The monument stands alongside figures including Britain's World War II leader Winston Churchill and the 19th anti-slavery president of the United States Abraham Lincoln.
A short film celebrated the achievements of global icon Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison before being freed in 1990 and becoming South Africa's first black leader in 1994 after the fall of apartheid.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner stepped down as South Africa's president in 1999 and from public life in 2004 after being treated for prostate cancer three years earlier.
However, he has since continued to speak out on anti-poverty and human rights issues.
Brown said Mandela's wife, Graca Machel, was also to be honoured -- she will be made a dame for her humanitarian work tackling poverty in Mozambique.
Mandela married Machel, widow of a former president of Mozambique, in 1998 after his divorce from Winnie Mandela.
The site of the statue prompted a rumbling five-year disagreement between officials -- Livingstone wanted it in Trafalgar Square, but the local council disagreed.
It gave its assent to a statue in Parliament Square earlier this year.
Other historical figures with statues in the square include former South African prime minister Jan Smuts.
Mandela said that on his 1962 visit to London with fellow anti-apartheid leader Oliver Tambo, "we had joked that we hope that one day a statue of a black person would be erected here -- alongside that of General Smuts."
The upbeat ceremony concluded with a gospel choir and dancers in colourful costumes.
"It's a great opportunity to see one of my country's best heroes," said Theums Van Vuuren, 27, a security officer dressed in a South Africa rugby union team jersey.
"The statue will be here for always so people will remember our country and a hero in every sense of the word.
"It's a great feeling."
