>> free mandela! >> say free mandela! >> free mandela!er: all the while, within south africa's borders, the armed struggle continues. during all this, the government transfers mandela from robben island to a prison on the mainland in march 1982. mandela, isolated from his comrade, sees an opportunity. >> he puts out feelers to say, i've entertained some visitors from the government and talk about how we have a mutual government or how we end apartheid or how we have democratic elections. >> reporter: the negotiations begin in secret. the government does not want it publicly known that they are speaking with the enemy. mandela by not consulting with the anc leadership knows they can disavow them if the negotiations go poorly. it is a risk he must take. >> the reason he made that decision is because he realized somebody had to start doing something. >> reporter: in 1988 the 70-year-old mandela is moved to yet another prison outside cape town. >> he's sent to another prison which is like a country club compared to where he had been before. >

talk show titan oprah winfrey weighing in on mandela's passing. >> winfrey, who credits mandela as thepiration for her school in south africa, said being in his fence was like sitting with grace and majesty at the same time. and she added, one of the great honors of my life was to be invited to nelson mandela's home, spend private time and get to know him. he was everything you heard and more. humble and unscathed by bitterness. >> that is completely understandable. mandela once said sports has the power to change the world. >> the 1995 rugby world cup in south africa, mandela donned the home team's jersey, which for generations had been linked to white south africa. it was a moment of national reconciliation. >> tiger woods, among the major sports stars weighing in on his death. woods and his father met mandela in 1998. >> he had an impact on my life and my father. and that time frame in which -- when he came out, could have -- the country could have fallen apart. it could have gone a lot of different ways. and he led it to where it's at now. and the world's going to miss him. >> mand

>> free mandela! >> say free mandela! >> free mandela!: all the while, within south africa's borders, the armed struggle continues. during all this, the government transfers mandela from robben island to a prison on the mainland in march 1982. mandela, isolated from his comra comrade, sees an opportunity. >> he puts out feelers to say, i've entertained some visitors from the government and talk about how we have a mutual government or how we end apartheid or how we have democratic elections. >> reporter: the negotiations begin in secret. the government does not want it publicly known that they are speaking with the enemy. mandela by not consulting with the anc leadership nknows they can disavow them if the negotiations go poorly. it is a risk he must take. >> the reason he made that decision is because he realized somebody had to start doing something. >> reporter: in 1988 the 70-year-old mandela is moved to yet another prison outside cape town. >> he's sent to another prison which is like a country club compared to where he had been befo

nelson mandela.meeting nelson mandela at his house in johannesburg was a truly memorable moment in life for me. he was an angel." >>> and as we pay tribute to nelson mandela, a celebration of his life. >> truly. these artists are coming out more and more throughout the entire day we get updates via e-mail of who was tweeting out next. presidents tweeting out and not only the people who are in hollywood. of course we leave you with one example of the way his life inspired artists everywhere. we'll be right back. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >>> if you are like us, your facebook and twitter feeds are filling up with quotesnelson >>> if you are like us, your facebook and twitter feeds are filling up with quotes by nelson mandela. >> his words inspired justice in his own nation and the better part of the last century they moved men and women just about everywhere. here's nelson mandela in his own words. >> south africa is a -- there's room for all the various races in this country. to spend 27 years at the prime of your life

mandela. they had been sell mates together or on the same cell block. he told a powerful story about the impact nelson mandela had on him and the guards in the prison. he was still in prison at the time, and this person talked about how the guards at robin island understand stood what sort of man mandela was, respected him, listened to him, were eddie educated by him. that was a powerful message no a young college student about this person who went on to become president of stojakovic. >> any recollection of affect that mandela has had on american politics? >> i think the president will speak to that in just a short time. the question that the first african-american president certainly watched what happened with nelson mandela in stojakovic. it had had.tory it has had an affect on politics here, the anti-apartheid movement, to pass sanctions here in congress, the debate that took place here in the united states over constructive engagement. >> also the withdrawal of u.s. investment dollars to

but mandela's only personal life suffered. the mandelas divorced.dela stepped down after serving only one term, setting a new standard on a continent for president for life. at the same time mandela had set the bar so high it would be close to impossible for anyone to fill his shoes or think of south africa as anything but a nation, creating problems for anyone not the icon mandela had become. not least because the icon stayed in the adoring public's eye. on his 80th birthday mandela married his third life, graca machel, widow of president machel. mandela announced his retirement from public life. >> don't call me.[ laughter ] >> i'll call you[ laughter ] >> but even in his later years,. joined by his wife in their advocacy for the world's children and boldly making up on the silence in hiv and aids dade dating back to his own time in office. mandela began to realize the disease was threatening the freedom he sought to assure, not to mention taking the life of his one son. talking about the ability that others of high position to join him though few

nelson mandela, mr.a new south africa. >> reporter: it was a long walk nelson mandela took, a walk that lasted nearly a century, a walk to freedom and human dignity. a walk he ended up taking the whole world on along with him. >> on behalf of our rainbow nation, i welcome you all. >> reporter: nelson mandela towered over them. a moral and political leader of surpassing strength, implacable determination, and profound decency. >> i am a product of africa. and the long-cherished dream of a rebirth that can now be realized. so that all of our children may play in the sun. >> reporter: mandela was born in 1918 into the royal family of the tembu people, but he grew up under apartheid, the vicious system of racial segregation and oppression by which the white minority ruled south africa. it's hard today to imagine the pure evil of that system. abject poverty for blacks and severe restrictions on travel, education and employment. whites enjoyed all of the power and riches in this rich country. mandela's trouble

mandela, you inspired us.that was his unbelievable relationship twn what was happening in america and what happened in south africa. we were there from time to time. the struggle in thelmar is -- from the struggling sharpville. >> one of the reasons i wanted to talk to you today, congressman, was reading about and thinking about and trying to understand the importance of those decisions made by mandela and other anti-apartheid leaders after sharpville when they decided nonviolence wasn't enough. they have been committed to nonviolence in the way that you have been committed to nonviolence throughout your life even in the face of incredible peru at that time. they decided that they needed a military response, as well. it never ended up being the key part in their response to apartheid. how international were those discussions about the porps of on nonviolence and whether or not it was enough to overthrow governments and to change the world? >> here in america and around the world, there was ongoing discussion a

much more on the words and life of nelson mandela.fought tirelessly for the rights and liberty of all south africans. famously saying "our march to freedom is irreversible. we must not allow fear to stand in our way." >>> now for others stories making news this morning. vice president biden wrapping up his visit to china on thursday. he raised the issue of the treatment of u.s. journalists in the country. nearly two dozen journalists from different u.s. publications are in daenk of not having their visas renewed by year's end. biden argued newspaper should be able to report the truth without fear of consequences. during an msnbc exclusive interview chris matthews asked president obama who would be a better president, joe biden or hillary clinton? here's his answer. >> both hillary and joe would make outstanding presidents and possess the qualities that are needed to be outstanding presidents. >>> police have arrested an 18-year-old for allegedly stealing a part from the porsche involved in the crash that killed paul walker. the suspec

he is close to mandela.isten to what he has to say. >> let us give him the gift of south africa in spirit, one. god, thank you for the gift of midiva. thank you for what he has enabled us to know we can become. help us to become that kind of nation. lessen to the word of our savior, jesus christ, i give you a a new command. love one another as i have loved you, so are you to love one another. if there is this love among you, then all will know that you are disciples newcomeewcomerwc.. are my disciples newcomeewcome . the peace of the lord always business with you. >> andals with you. . >> desmond tutu is holding a church service in capetown for nelson mandela. the two men were very close. they not apartheid together especially throughout the 1980s yes, he has lost a close friend as many people have. >> we will probably be hearing from him today as well, it's very touching to see him walk out and embrace the south african black and whites who are in that church today. >> many, many more memorials to come as s

ted says in an important way. >> mandela was there. mandela was in every exchange.ot been for -- for mandela. >> in what way? >> in the sense that mandela exerted such moral suasion. >> the shows the also made a connection. the door with mandela was opponenten for y efor you becau week you did. >> he heard and knew what we had done. >> thed had a moment with mandea years later at a town meeting in the united states. >> i interrupted him and was going to say something else. and then he -- i thought was going to jump in and say something. so, i paused. and he said something like -- i don't know if i -- >> largely african-american crowd, at the town meeting, loved it. you know, here is the white anchor getting it right in the chops from the man himself. it was a great moment for him, for them, and not as the great for me. >> now a great story to tell. >> yeah. >> no they were not buddies. but for maybe a brief moment. they were both part of the story. something journalists are supposed to try not to be but some times it cannot be helped. >> we don't get the opportunity

mandela. they raised their fists together and welcomed this freedom. but everybody took this collective sigh, this gasp that look at this man who has been hidden for so long, how handsome, how tall, how good-looking, how gray, how elderly he's got, and i have heard president clinton speak about how he woke up chelsea that morning and he said you know, nelson mandela is going to be freed and this is probably the most important thing that's going to happen in your life so come and watch the television. so everybody was vested in that moment. i remember it so clearly and so does everybody who was there. >> it was an amazing moment for south africa, indeed for the world. i want to zakaria into this conversation. we are remembering nelson mandela, a world leader who made such, such a change not only in south africa but indeed, he inspired so many people around the world. >> absolutely, wolf. remember, this is a man born in 1918, when the sun never set on the british empire, and lived a long life an

mandela, free mandela!ichner: and then, in february 1990, south african president f.w. de klerk made a historic announcement. >> the government has taken a firm decision to release mr. mandela unconditionally. >> teichner: a moment forever seared into our memory. after more than a quarter century behind bars, nelson mandela stepped into the light. >> amandla! >> teichner: mandela at 71 emerged looking not like a broken prisoner, but like a king. >> he had won. but mandela is famous for his smile, but that smile is not there. and i believe he was deeply aware of the enormous challenge and responsibility that now lay on him. ♪ >> we will reach the goal of liberating the black people of this country within our lifetime. >> teichner: nelson mandela was free, but the fight for freedom was far from over. >> pelley: when we come back, "60 minutes'" bob simon reflects on mandela's journey from prisoner to president. honestly, i'm not looking for five-star treatment. i get times are tight. but it's hard to get any w

wife winnie mandela. people were angry with journalists, particularly internation internation internation international journalists. the government would say nelson mandela is critical and stable. and the family talked and gave different opinions. it was confusing and difficult. he's the father, the icon, you don't talk badly about him. now that it's happened, people were expecting it. it is a shock now. he was 95 years old. the key thing is yes, he's gone. let's celebrate what he has done and what we can learn. >> let's talk about south africa. the recent months were difficult. there's a mining strike that took its toll on the country. the a&c came under pressure for the way it handled the strike situation. what is the sense about the anc's leadership now and moving forward in the aftermath of the death of nelson mandela? >> well, the anc, the ruling party is the people's party. they have a lot of support. that said, people are questioning the before of some of the politicians, they are wondering where i

at that time mandela was ill. the speculation was if he would pass during president barack obama 's trip or if obama would meet with him. he decided out of respect for mandela that he would meet with some of his relatives there in south africa rather than meeting directly with mandela ailing back in the early part of the summer. bottom line, president barack obama took his own family to robin island where nelson mandela was in prison for 26 years. there was images of the president bringing his wife and two young daughters to talk to them about the legacy and refler reflect on hit. >> we got a message from george bush. it says barbara and i have had the privilege to know. as president i watched in wonder as mandela had the remarkable capacity to forgive jailers following 26 years of wrongful imprisonment setting redemths and grace for us all. he was a man of tremendous courage who changed the course of history in his country. barbara and i, he write, had great respect for president mandela and send condolences for

>> remembering mandela. south africans gather to mourn the loss of a man who changed the nation and inspire generations. nelson mandela has died at the age of 95. thank for joining us on "france ." people around the world are gathering to mourn the loss of nelson mandela. this friday everyone from heads of state to people on the street are remembering mandela, who was both inspirational and controversial. and ray brown looks back at the life of nelson mandela. born in the former trance state territory on july 18, 1918, nelson mandela was meant to become a tribal chief like his father. instead he became a lawyer and the first -- in the first lack legal practice in johannesburg. he joined the congress in 19 -- in -- in his practice, he was exposed to the inhumanity's of apartheid on a daily basis. he decided to fight back. opting for nonviolence as a strategy. he was first arrested in 1956 and prosecuted on treason charges, which were later dropped. nancyars later he married winnie.s when he -- >> there are ma

we begin with nelson mandela.ough to become south africa's first black president, but he was so much more not only to

that's a look at the social media impact of the death of nelson mandela. >>> the death of nelson mandelaed communities all around the world. in the uk ordinary people are remembering the impact he had on their lives. >> we just saw a picture from outside south africa house on twitter, and that's because many of the anti-apartheid cers fled to london, and it was an issue at the heart of the political awakening of a generation. >> while hundreds have been gathering outside south africa house here in london, site of so many protests in the '70s and '80s. lawrence lee has more. >> reporter: left wingers used to be held to abuse for holding protests. now it's a shrine. people arriving to talk eagerly about what nelson mandela meant to them. this man produced what was clearly a treasured souvenir, his head just peaks from the background during nelson mandela's visit in the 1990s. >> he taught us as much about ourselves as much as how we should treat other people. but that time -- i always say this is the sort of greatest moment of my working life was that day. >> because you saw mandela. >> ye

mandela. >> a solute from mr.dela, his wife winnie, greeting the people outside the fences of the prison. that is the man the world has been waiting to see. his first public appearance in nearly three decades. >> when nelson mandela walked free out of prison, the people of south africa were free. but when he walked out, everyone was walking on air, and it was a -- the most joyous moment of all our lives. >> today the majority of south africans, black and white, recognize that apartheid has no future. >> after 27 years, nelson mandela was free and south africa has taken its first steps towards democracy but those decades in prison took a toll on his health and his family. . >>> one of the saddest moments in my>>> one of the saddest mom in my life in prison was the death of my mother. she came a couple tough times to visit me, but the last time she came to see me, as she left i looked at her and she walked up. i have the feeling that i have seen her for the last time and that was the case. the shattering spirit of t

mandela.e favorite hymn of his mother. it's hymn 14. the choir will lead us. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> shall we be seated, and lit let us pray. you have committed yourself in christ and revealed your nature and your purpose to us. in your infinite love for poor and wealthy, you laid aside your glory. in your infinite love forever raise a nation you brought a new world into being and taught us to live as citizens of god's rain. you have not stopped in connecting yourself. you still reveal yourself. we praise and thank you, oh god, for the people to whom you reveal yourself still for those who give themselves to build a world based on the values of your reign of love, justice and reconciliatio reconciliation. today we celebrate the living carnation that was nelson mandela who gave his life for the sake of justice an freedom, who lived the world healing practices of forgiveness, compassion and integrity. we praise and thank you for his faithfulness to your call, his example to justice and reconciliation and his

mandela and of his name. firstly, you watched the funeral and saw the respect, the dignity. what went through your mind when you saw nelson mandela finally go? >> i think it was a fitting tribute to the life well-lived. i think south africans have this image that we shouldn't just be crying at this moment and mourning his passing, but we should be celebrating because madiba got 95 years, but he also gave 67 years of his life of service. then he retired three times, and i think those three retirements were preparing us for what was coming. even when it came, you still had the sense of loss, the deep sense of loss. we feel left with that. some of the staff members of the nelson mandela foundation have served nelson mandela for over 20 years. it's encouraging to them to see how they have pulled together in the last ten days. we're hoping that we at the nelson mandela foundation together with the other two legacy institutions, nelson mandela children's fund and the mandela house foundation will help keep the lega

he said it was mandela.und the curtain that separated us from the first class section. mandela would say hello to all of us at the end of the flight and he did just that. he shook our hands. he was greeted in zimbabwe to celebrate their ten-year anniversary of independence pfsty red carpet that rolled out, flowers, chants, singers. it was incredible the excitement many felt just seeing the man after his release. eight years later, i had the rare opportunity of ming him again in 1998 as a young reporter covering bill clinton's trip to africa. as one of the pool reporters got to cover the tour, the mandela gave the tour to the clintons where he showed them his prison cell number five where he was held for 18 years. he was thoughtful, no sense of bitterness and clinton told mandela on that trip that he was glad his heart did not return to stone. i returned to that cell just last year on a tour and there's been fresh paint, it's a national museum. but what strikes you is that the tour guides are former inmates.

i think that spirit you're hearing outside nelson mandela's home is part of that notion that nelson mandela has transitioned to a different place. we almost think of him as a super human person. i've thought in those months when we were there in south africa, when he first went to the hospital over these weeks and months and through his wisdom he's been preparing the nation an his this world for this. and one of the things that will happen in the immediate af ma aftermath of his passing will be south africa coming together as nelson mandela wanted him to come together. i suspect those not outside singing tonight will hear the news but sad for a moment but it will bring the nation together sort of like the soccer matches did when the country hosted the world soccer cup a few years ago. i guess the one hope one would have is these remembrances of mandela will make a difference in his country today. he so much wanted his country to be united. >> we will join you in hoping for exactly that as dawn breaks across south africa, from washington. let's take a moment here and look back at this life i

mandela. the sense of bereavement is palpable. to some, almost private and personal. together,so a coming a nation united in mourning but also in celebration of the life of the man they call madiba. >> people are celebrating the life of nelson mandela. i think he would want us to celebrate his life. >> we kept holding onto that and i hope with the spirit going [inaudible] prepares forfrica a state funeral of unprecedented proportions, what kind of nation mr. mandela leaves behind. is possible to overcome hatred and anger in order to build a new nation and a new society. lson mandela went to prison and a great young man. committed to letting his enemies by violence if necessary. byfighting as enemies violence if necessary. 27 years later he emerged preaching. can say withf you authority and confidence that i have traveled this long road to freedom. fight, i madenot missteps along the way. [inaudible]e cross.y more hills to >> his longtime collaborator archbishop desmond tutu gave ask for a frie

mandela, nelson mandela, president mandela, revolutionary mandela saved the future of south africa the moment he ascended to the heights of his own presidency and he embraced white south africans because he understood that the economy of south africa would not do well without the intentions of those white south africans being brought into the larger circle of south african economic and political privilege. so he understood that. but at the same time what he understood is that justice had to be done and that black people who had been long denied must now be recognized as human beings. so he didn't dismiss the humanity of white people, he embraced it by insisting that the humanity of black africans could be joined with the humanity of white africans and others. so they will remember him if they are righteous as a man who indeed saved their nation. >> all right. dr. eric dyson, please stay with us. joining me now someone who was outside the home in johannesburg, south africa. if you could tell us the scene outside the mandela home and the reaction of those who are outside the home tonight

nelson mandela married a gain.he bride was graca mandela, a union celebrated by all. >> my wife and i. >> a union that lasted for the rest of his life. >> my wife and i say thank you very much. >> but before he died there was a chance for the world to thank him. on a chilly winter's night nelson mandela made a last appearance at an event. acknowledging the crowd and stirring hearts as the world cup football final was held for the first time in africa. staging a number of miles away from the sow wetto home where nelson mandela lived. in recent times there was a fleeting sight of ambulances carrying him to and from hospital. a chest infection diagnosed when he was in prison continuing to reoccur. the images were broadcast on state television, a grinning jacob zuma visiting his presidential predecessor, unaware of what was going on around him. the only visible reaction to the flash of a camera as nelson mandela was thrown into the public domain. the images come and go. this will be left behind, the colours of a democr

>> no, mandela, mandela was not really able to get all this information.spite all that, it was the anc in exile led by oliver tambo, whose name is forgotten, who really put the pressure. this is told in a new movie, and it's playing in new york and l.a. now. but on christmas day, it goes to 2,000 screens. >> i'm hoping that we -- >> in america. and i was fortunate to be in south africa and film the making and the meaning of this movie and this book. because the producers know that a movie can't tell the whole story. >> we're hoping to have a star in the film right here next week. congresswoman barbara lee and danny shechter, thank you both for your time. >> thank you. >> we'll be right back. >>> we have waited too long for our people. we can no longer wait. now is the time to intensify this progress on all fronts. to elect our efforts now, which generations to come will not be able to forgive. >> that was nelson mandela's first speech after his release from prison in february 11th, 1990. mandela was a rare global figure, a man who went from revolutionary t

mandela.e iconic leader who had every reason to hate instead chose to forgive with 95-years-old. he guided south africa through its historic transaction to democracy. his current success with president jacob zuma told the world the news. >> south africans, our beloved no sin nelson mandela, the founding president of our democratic nation has departed. he passed on peacefully in the company of his family around 20:50 on the 5th of december, 2013. >> man zel la retired from public life years ago. he hasn't been seen in public since 2010 when they hosted the world cup. his health had been failing for quite some time n. recent years, he was in and out of hospital. mr. mandela's hospital has been moved to a military hospital in pretoria since the news broke, crowds have been gathering outside mandela's home in johannesburg. >> [ music playing ] >> they are singing, they are daning. they have been gathering there all throughout the night and they will continue during the day just after 506789 local

for nelson mandela, it was another day in the life of nelson mandela. he's meeting people who are so inspired by him and taken with what he has achieved, and all he does is make you feel comfortable, like you are the important one. >> it's good. tilt it down. >> the reflection. the portrait metaphor of "the man in the mirror" is a metaphor for south africa. his spirit. what he represents is in every single one of the people here. for the portrait it was strong for me that we needed to reflect upon ourselves about what nelson mandela had achieved, and nelson mandela's life. i think given access to shoot that portrait was a life-changing experience for the whole group. we were all very nervous. i photographed him a few times before, but not a proper portrait sitting. there's an intimacy to that. i looked up. all the crew were crying. the 2012 birthday shoot was a special shoot. sending that intimate time with the family and madeba. the family adore him and cherish the time they had with him. for many of the family they lost him for 27 years. to have this

the biography "mandela's way." life as a grandfather in our 1993 interview from our pbs program. do you love your country more than you love anything? >> well, that is difficult. i've got a family and i've got children. >> but it's almost like you're married to your country and destiny has made this marriage and you have no choice. >> it's inconceivable for me to love anybody more than my children and my grandchildren. i've got a grandson who will turn 4 in september. i asked him on your birthday, what do you want me to buy for you? he said, i want a motor car. i said, let's go to the shops. we went. he was holding my hand, my left hand. and we went into the shop which sells model cars. they shook my hand. now, he left and came to grab this hand. i said to him, can you hold this hand, he said, no, he held this hand because he saw me greeting other people with this hand. i stopped to be his grandfather and was now a grandfather of people he did not know. he was so upset that even when he entered the shop with vehicl

mandela and others were sentenced to life in prison. racial tension flared to new levels and the institution of apartheid began to unravel. >> these state of affairs can no longer be tolerated. >> reporter: the south african government secretly met with mandela to try to negotiate peace. in 1990 after years of hard bargaining mandela was released from prison. once freed he was immediately called upon to lead. townships were descending into anarchy as groups battled one another as well as the state. civil war was a real threat. for years mandela worked to end apartheid with the white president, frederick declerk. he had won a nobel peace prize for it. in 1994 mandela was elected the first black president, and it was also the first vote he was allowed to cast. >> of our hopes and dreams that we have cherished . >> reporter: today, mandela's great granddaughter remembered him. >> the future without madiba. you are in our memory. you tower over the walls leaving streaks of light for us to follow. we salute you. >> one of mandela's most impo

mandela.ut of all the people you have been friends with and struggled with, what makes nelson mandela so uniquely different? >> the people i have been privileged to serve, nelson mandela was the one i least suspected i would ever come to me, personally. i tried several times when he was incarcerated, to gain the privilege of visiting him, but the system would not permit that. himarted corresponding with while he was in prison. i had come to be aware of him through my mentor, the man who i most admired, paul robeson. e was very close to king against thewas apartheid system in the early day of its presence in south africa. he was the first black man to ever receive the nobel prize. looking at south africa from that prison, i began to become more aware of what the african national congress was doing, and what the leadership was aspiring to do, to make the decisions that would help us fight the struggle that the south african people were fighting in resisting apartheid. >> is one thing to work alo

mandela! >> mandela and his wife, winnie, stopped by a brooklyn high school.reeted by 10,000 people. then new york city honored mandela has no other city can. a ticker tape parade up broadway. mandela said he knew he had friends in new york, but never dreamed he was so loved. the key to the city from mayor david dinkins. mandela then talked of unlocking the shackles of apartheid. >> we want those in south africa, to their country which vanishes forever, embraces them in all its forms. south africa should be freed. this struggle continues. thank you. >> i am one of the countless millions who drew inspiration from nelson mandela's life. my very first political action, the first thing i ever did that involved an issue or a policy or politics was a protest against apartheid. i would study his words and his writings. the day he was released from miss son gave me a sense of what human beings can do when they are guided by their hopes and not by their fears. and like so many around the globe, i cannot fully imagine my own life without the example that nelson mandela

mandela! >> mandela and his wife winnie stopped by a brooklyn high school.ted by 10,000 people. new york city honored mandela as no other city can. a ticker tape parade up broadway. mandela said he knew he had friends in new york but never dreamed he was so loved. the key to the city from mayor david dinkins. he then talked of unlocking the shackles of apartheid. >> a country which ban issues forever racism in all its forms. south africa shall be free. this struggle continues. thank you. >> joining me now on the phone is nobel peace price laureate elie wiesel. thanks for joining us. i know the club of nobel peace prize laureates is a very, very small one indeed. i wonder if you could share with us your thoughts on working with and meeting nelson mandela and what he was like as a machine. >> i met him actually two months after he got the nobel prize because we had the conference in the same place in oslo, which i organized. i invited him. he was already famous but he came to us as our guest. we had many, many conversations alone and together with other people

until the last breath nelson mandela fought the odds as he had done all his life. >> nelson mandela's legacy were emblazoned in the sky all those years ago. above all the legacy is found in the minds of ordinary south africans, black and whid, the people he led to freedom. >> jessie duarte was nelson mandela's special assistant. she told us what it was like working with him. >> we had a good working relationship. madiba was a strict employee, but strict in the sense of much more strict on himself. he was punk tul -- punk tulle. he had great ideas about meeting people. he needed to meet the people of south africa and talk to them about the future and where we needed to go. he spent a great deal of time talking to the people at home and engaging as he did with many african leaders to talk about un iteming the countryman. madiba's greatest wish was to reunite the african continent and believes we should un item the people of south africa. in many ways he was a symbol of freedom in progress. on a personal note, you know that he's gone, but will live on in the hearts of many people. i was

he met nelson mandela shooting his film 12 disciples of nelson mandela. well, it is a pleasure to talk to you, what are your moments at this hour? >> well, deeply saddened with this great man, he stood for so much. and his vision was so powerful. all the years and also -- becoming president and giving up the power. >> the power -. >> and i think it is so t for our people. >> and we have such a great loss. >> hang on, i know you want to echo this point. it was a big deal. >> yeah. and stepping down may have been his biggest legacy. and -- about 80% of them stayed on about nine terms too long. >> we were just talking about zimbabwe. >> when he came on, he held a lot of prompt, nelson -- look, he was an older guy, he put in his time 27 years at rob been island and being president. the fact that he moved on, there are nobody who perfect what has happened in south africa, and that his successors lived up to his mantle, but at least he had successors. >> yeah, i would agree. you know he -- when nelson mandela was went underground after sharkville, the south afr

abraham lincoln, the great emancipator, stand with nelson mandela, the liberator. >> nelson mandela himself recalled a visit to london 45 years earlier. close when we visited , weminster abby in 1962 joked that we hoped that one day a statue of a black .resident would be erected here [applause] back months later, he was in london to celebrate his 90th birthday. he met the queen. he attended a concert in his honor. speaking at the lectern carrying his number, he called for no let up in the battle against poverty and aids. >> after nearly 90 years of your hands time for to lift the burdens. .t is in your hands now i thank you. [applause] that was a sense of the determination and the strength and the energy of a campaign that spanned six decades. really underlining what a remarkable life he led. close we're used to the story. it is at a time like this where you cannot reflect on what he achieved and to recognize those milestones in his life. three decades in prison and how that transformed him, not just as a man but as a leader. obviously, he was south africa's first black president and the wa

nelson mandela's day is done. the news expected and still unwelcome reached us in the united states and suddenly our world became somber. our skies were lead ened. his day is done. >> schieffer: we're going to close our broadcast this morning with your poem, but i wanted to ask you, how did you come to write this? how did this come about and when did you do it? >> thank you. the state department approached me -- state department telephoned me when he was very sick about a year and half ago asked if i would write a poem -- write a tribute to him from my people, from the american people. and i said, yes. i wrote it, but also had to agree that i would not even speak about it or release it until 48 hours after he was actually dead and i agreed. so i did it and i sent it to them, to the state department. the state department sent a crew down and i recorded it. but then i never mentioned it again to anyone, including -- close friends and family members. i just wouldn't do it. >> schieffer: you didn't mention it to us, w

they are president nelson mandela. >> pelley: no american president was closer to nelson mandela thatl clinton. their terms in office in the 1990s overhappened. when mr. clinton got caught up in scandal mandela visiting the white house stood by him saying our morality does not allow us to desert our friends. recently we asked mr. clinton about their special bond. >> you met with nelson mandela more than any president. and i wonder what was your relationship in those days? >> well, we became good friends. on that end, ironically in 1992 i met him at the democratic convention in new york when i was being nominated for president. we had business to do. they were one of the countries that voluntarily gave up their nuclear arsenal. and in the process of that we became good personal friends. we used to do business together on the phone where their time difference was so great i would take the call at night. and it wasn't too late mandela would make me go get chelsea every time he called and he would talk to her and ask her if she was doing her homework. he was an enormous help to me during

it's mandela.e understand what he really means. >> charles, in 1952, he actually gave a talk at a dinner where he predicted in 1952 that he, nelson mandela, would be the first elected president of a free and democratic south africa and that actually came to happen. how would you judge his handling the presidency as that first democratically elected president in south african history? >> well, i'm glad you said that because he was the first democratically elected president of south africa, not the first black president. and he was that because for the first time everybody had a right to vote, including africans, and it made a big difference. i was born in 1952, so i have no memory of this speech in 1952 but i do remember as a student at stanford being involved in the divestment movement, trying to make sure that not just south africa but southern africa would divest from this system and apartheid would be ended. that was continued when i went to law school in the '70s and continued when i went to pr

people here chanting mandela, mandela, our president. all week long, there's been energy here, but so much passion. optimistic passion. people who have been joyous. certainly sad about the loss of madiba. but joyous in the life he led and the changes he made. time and time again, people here told us, black, white, indian, how this is the new south africa. the rainbow nation. making a point that, for instance, at this arena, 25 years ago, in that south africa, it would not have been possible for people of different races to gather in one space to be together. i talked to a girl a little while ago. 24-year-old white girl who made the point that she was born the here that mandela became president. her life is better because of that. she has gone to a segregated school most of her life. she has a wide variety of friends. and she says, race does not matter to me the way it did to my parents, certainly not my grandparents. the enthusiasm here has been refreshing to see. >> i'm sure it has. with all of the optimism, all of the hope, all of the

amen. ♪ nelson mandela ♪ nelson mandela ♪ nelson mandela ♪ nelson mandela ♪ nelson mandela ♪ nelson mandelamadiba ♪ >> lester holt, this is coming after some of the organized prayers. a little musical interlude. >> and we'll soon be hearing from the friend and family of nelson mandela here. and you see that picture right there captures so much. people of every color who have come to represent what we call the new south africa here, a true tribute to mandela as you look across this crowd here that has withstood a steady light to moderate rain all morning long. we've also been watching, of course, brian, a collection of dignitaries, and you can't really overstate the complexity of the operation of getting the celebrities, the politicians, the world leaders in here safely. the south africans said they have been studying a plan for quite some time and have been working with their counterparts in the u.s. and other countries to get everyone here safely. we were on that issue of security, we were able to get in today without screening. the crowd then were bussed in. they may have been screened at

mandela. >> that is an amazing story.rom american presidents over the last day who really seem to be in awe of nelson mandela. they treat him like he truly was different. to you, what made him so special? >> i think what made -- by the way, i don't think i realized just quite how important mr. mandela was in all of the years that i spent with him in pretty much. the first two years, we didn't see a lot of him. i was in a section that wasn't allowed to interact with people in his section. i don't think at the time i recognized and realized how important mr. mandela was to south africa and world politics. the first time i realized was the first concert in london, i just got a shock of my life and realized for the first time just how important mr. mandela was and the gravitose he is recognized. he became an important member of our organization and nothing more. >> tell me, when he did get out of prison, did it surprise you that he chose reconciliation over revenge? >> no. i wasn't surprised at all. from the time i met him in

mandela, mr. nelson mandela. man taking his first steps into a new south africa. >> after all of those years in prison, mandela could have used his political power to fuel a wave of violence against white oppressors. instead he spoke of one country. >> i greet you all in the name of peace, democracy and freedom for all. >> mandela and south african president f.w. de klerk formed an unlikely alliance that in 1993 would win them both the nobel peace prize. a year later, mandela would run for president himself. the stunning aerial images in the towns surrounding johannesburg. the people of south africa lining up for miles allowed to vote for the first time. and nelson mandela, among them. it was a milestone filled with symbolism. a black man, former political prisoner, about to become president. >> it was exciting to be able to exercise a right which in my 76 years was denied to me. i felt very excited, it was as i already said, the realization of a long cherished dream. >> south africa belongs to all its people, bl

mandela was so different. by embracing the old order, he neutralized them. >> let's listen in just to hear what the crowds are hearing. >> let's bring in our jill dougherty. so many more to come. >> there are. sorry? >> go ahead, jill. >> there are 91 of them. as we're looking at this, it reminds, i think, us of the power of moral force and people come into history at a particular point who are the turning point. nelson mandela just pointed out he did not destroy. in almost like a gorbachev or a nelson mandela at another where they were able to turn, but they do not destroy, they do not -- later if nelson mandela had gone in a different direction, it might have led to a horrible, horrible bloody conflict that would have consumed that entire area. but he didn't. that is the power of one individual in the moral force that i think people even if they are the powerful as you see them walking in here, they are all moved by this one man who, from a prison cell, was able to change things and the power of his ideas th

mandela turned 90. live in oak labd, stephanie chuang, nbc bay area news. >> thank you. >>> willie brown, former mayor of san francisco met mandela at the rally in oakland and his meeting with mandela is a treasured memory. brown says this photo of the meeting is one of his favorites. >> mr. mandela inspired me as i suspect he has inspired many people to do what you think is the right thing to do. maybe not political, because i don't think nelson mandela was ever really political. >> and before being mayor of san francisco, brown spent 30 years in the assembly and was speaker in 1986. that is when california became the largest government in the united states to devest from south african investments because of apartheid. the state pension and university fund sold more than $11 billion worth of securities as a result. >>> none of this was easy. mandela's activism took him from life in prison to leader of his nation. in 1944, he was 26 years old when he co-founded african national congress. after a 1960 ma