While South Africa (as well as the rest of the rest of the world via internet) was remembering the life of former President and humanitarian icon Nelson Mandela, UK Prime Minister David Cameron and Us President Barack Obama were allegedly making like teenagers and taking selfies while at the memorial.
The memorial which was held at Johannesburg's Soccer City was attended by international luminaries and ordinary citizens alike and was centered on the extraordinary historical contribution of Mandela. While the atmosphere inside the stadium was unquestionably upbeat and festive, complete with vuvuzuelas, there has been some diverse opinion on the alleged selfie taking of the two world leaders.
It seems that one side of the argument is that Barack Obama and David Cameron should know better than to do something as gratuitous and unnecessary as taking selfies at a memorial while the other half is saying that there was nothing wrong with taking a picture as it wasn't really a solemn occasion to begin with. The US First Lady Michelle Obama, however, had no part in the picture taking; choosing instead to look forward and focus on the ceremonies.
Which isn't to say that Barack Obama was a total bust at the memorial, his speech was actually a huge success. "We will never see the likes of Nelson Mandela again. To the people of South Africa -- people of every race and every walk of life -- the world thanks you for sharing Nelson Mandela with us," Obama said, referring to Mandela as "a giant of history."
Indeed, the two presidents have parallels in that they were both the first black presidents in their respective countries. Barack Obama has even mentioned several times that were it not for Mandela's profound influence in his life, he would not have entered into politics.
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