Following in Mandela's footsteps: Barack Obama and Michelle make poignant pilgrimage to the island where South African leader was imprisoned for 18 years
By REUTERS/AP
It was a poignant moment as President Barack Obama and wife Michelle
visited a bleak former prison island off the coast of South Africa on
Sunday to pay tribute to ailing anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela.
Their visit set the stage for a speech at the University of Cape Town
later to urge Africans to strive for prosperity and democracy in which
the President will cite the legacy of Mandela, who was imprisoned on
Robben Island for 18 of the 27 years he spent in jail before becoming
the first black president of South Africa.
Current South African President Jacob Zuma was also held on the
wind-swept island off Cape Town under the apartheid regime that ended in
1994 with Mandela's election victory.
Poignant moment: Barack Obama writes in a guest book as he tours Robben
Island with first lady Michelle Obama. Under apartheid, Nelson Mandela
spent several decades as a political prisoner there
It is the final day of the President's visit to South Africa. He met
with relatives of Mandela, who remains in serious condition in hospital
Message: A hand-written note by U.S. President Barack Obama is pictured
in a guest book as he tours Robben Island with First lady Michelle Obama
near Cape Town
Poignant moments: U.S. President Barack Obama is pictured with his
family, as he visits the rock quarry labor camp where Nelson Mandela was
forced to work
Read more: dailymail.co.uk
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