there is a word in south africa, ubuntu.aptures his greatest gifts, his recognition that we are all bound together in a way that is invisible to humanity, that there is a oneness to humanity, that we achieve ourselves by sharing ourselves with others and caring for those around us. we can never know how much of this sense was innate in him or how much was shaped in a dark and solitary cell. but we remember the gestures, large and small, introducing a jailor as an honored guest in his inauguration, taking a pitch in a uniform, turning his family's heartbreak into a call to confront hiv/aids that reveal the depth of his empathy and understanding. he not only embodied ubuntu, he taught millions to find the truth within themselves. it took a man like madiba to free not just prisoner but the jailor as well. to show that you must trust others so that they may trust you. teach that reconciliation is not a matter of ignoring a cruel past but a means of confronting it with inclusion and generosity and proof. he changed laws but he al

there is a word in south africa, ubuntu. a word that captures his greatest gifts, his recognition that we are all bound together in a way that is invisible to humanity, that there is a oneness to humanity, that we achieve ourselves by sharing ourselves with others and caring for those around us. we can never know how much of this sense was innate in him or how much was shaped in a dark and solitary cell. but we remember the gestures, large and small, introducing a jailor as an honored guest in his inauguration, taking a pitch in a uniform, turning his family's heartbreak into a call to confront hiv/aids that reveal the depth of his empathy and understanding. he not only embodied ubuntu, he taught millions to find the truth within themselves. it took a man like madiba to free not just prisoner but the jailor as well. to show that you must trust others so that they may trust you. teach that reconciliation is not a matter of ignoring a cruel past but a means of confronting it with inclusion and generosity and proof. he changed

nelson mandela said more about ubuntu. he said it meant respect and meant standing with others, that is, recognizing them as human. the word simply means this, it simply means humanity. desmond tutu told me that until the world /-r stood with south africa through means like divestment, their struggle would never have reached its fruitful conclusion. as long as they struggled alone, they never would have succeeded. when the world stood with them in solidarity, the principle that no one stands alone, then success was assured. in this way, through the spirit of ubuntu, nelson mandela overcame the spiritual forces of evil that had infected his country and continued to infect the world. i offer you a blessing, it comes from i don't understand me. it comes from centuries and millennia ago. it is not owned by the episcopal church or christian faith -- go forth into the world in peace, be in good courage, hold fast to that which is good, strengthen the faint hearted, support the weak, comfort the afflicted, be patient with everyon

he not only embodied ubuntu, he taught millions to find that truth within themselves.it took a man like madiba to free not just the prisoner, but the jailor as well, to show that you must trust others so that they may trust you, to teach that reconciliation is not a matter of ignoring a cruel past, but a means of confronting it with inclusion, generosity and truth. [applause] he changed laws, but also hearts. for the people of south africa, for those he inspired around the globe -- madiba's passing is rightly a time of mourning, and a time to celebrate his heroic life. but i believe it should also prompt in each of us a time for self-reflection. with honesty, regardless of our station or circumstance, we must ask, how well have i applied his lessons in my own life? it is a question i ask myself -- as a man and as a president. we know that like south africa, the united states had to overcome centuries of racial subjugation. as was true here, it took the sacrifice of countless people -- known and unknown -- to see the dawn of a new day. michelle and i are the beneficiari

. >> if there is one word that may have summed up the comments from the president, ubuntu. he used a south african word that basically means interconnectedness. >> i am me because of you. a sense of collectiveness essentially that we're all in it together. >> it really tapped in. the president was very careful. he showed the people here he knows the story of nelson mandela. >> he made some very important points about the massively indispensable contribution of nelson mandela. he said like lincoln, mandela kept his country together in the end rather than it disintegrating. >> perhaps the most talked-about moment of that memorial service, president obama shaking hands with cuba's raul castro on his way up to the podium. it was brief. it was an impromptu exchange. but many were surprised to see the two of them shaking hands at all. the white house issuing a statement saying the encounter was not planned and that the president's only focus is honoring the late man dedela. president obama shaking hands with every leader he passed and there were many. in life nelson mandela had a

there is a word in south africa, ubuntu.umanity, that we achieve ourselves by sharing ourselves with others, and caring for those around us. >> reporter: ubuntu, the idea of interconnectedness. nelson mandela lived it. it's what turned south africa around and it extends all the way back to the united states. kate, michaela, that's what i took away from today, a great figure to report on and witness, but that message, that word ubuntu is what we really needed to hear today. >> we all live with ubuntu going forward. >> great to witness tens of thousands of people in that stadium. for more on our continued coverage of this historic gathering, we'll hand it off to carol costello in the "cnn newsroom." good morning, carol. >> thank you, kate. have a great day. "newsroom" starts now. and good morning, everyone. i'm carol costello. thank you so much for joining me. today, the world is gathering in south africa to pay tribute to a global icon. thousands of mourners braving heavy rains to attend the official memorial service for nels

. >> there is a word and south african -- ubuntu.ause] a word that captures mandela's greatest gift, his recognition that we are all bound together in ways that are invisible to the eye. oneness to humanity. what we achieve ourselves by sharing ourselves with others in caring for those around us. we accept the consequences of inaction knowing that standing up to powerful influences of injustice carries the price. i have fought against white and black domination. [applause] the ideal of ad democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and equal opportunity. it is an idea which i hope and live for and achieve. but if need be, it is an ideal for which i am prepared to die. true to the message of tolerance and goodwill, president obama shaking hands with the cube in president raul castro. the last time a seated president shook hands with a castro was 60 years ago and it was dwight eisenhower. also today, the nobel laureates were honored in stockholm. sharing the physics on her, and sharing the nobel for scienc

. >> that's what they call ubuntu in south africa - being human. on days like this we put differences aside. we embrace people we love. it happens in families, many families, so for me it's not unusual. south africans expected that. there would be no animosity between these two. >> there would be no hard feelings. historically in the family there'd not been animosity. they celebrated birthdays, christmases together. special days together. this is not unusual. it's not like a surprise like together's happening when they both say goodbye to the man they love. i heard graca machel as recently as yesterday saying that nelson mandela was the love of nelson mandela's -- that winnie mandela was the love of nelson mandela's life. >> yes, he played a role for so many years. we cannot erase that in history, the role that she played, so it would be really, really unfair at this moment to say she should take a back seat and not be there. >> they were both there at his bedside when he died on thursday. >> yes. >> i want to go back out to the stadium where al ja