logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2023
15m 32s

The funeral of Nelson Mandela

Bbc World Service
About this episode

On 15 December 2013, South Africa held the funeral of Nelson Mandela who led the struggle in defeating apartheid and became the country’s first black president.

His ancestral home in the village of Qunu in South Africa’s Eastern Cape hosted 60 world leaders including four United States presidents and two UN secretary generals.

It was the first state funeral held by the country.

Nelson Mandela’s eldest child Dr Makaziwe Mandela tells Josephine McDermott how it took eight years to plan and why it makes her proud to remember that day.

(Photo: Candles are lit under a portrait of Nelson Mandela at his funeral service. Credit: Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images)

Up next
Apr 2025
The Cu Chi tunnels of the Vietnam War
During the Vietnam War, North Vietnamese VietCong guerrillas built a vast network of tunnels in the south of the country as part of the insurgency against the South Vietnamese government and their American allies. The tunnel network was a key base and shelter for the North Vietna ... Show More
9m 43s
Yesterday
I starred in Pan’s Labyrinth
In 2006, Ivana Baquero starred in Guillermo del Toro’s Spanish-language film Pan’s Labyrinth. The film tells the story of an 11-year-old girl who meets mythical creatures on a quest to achieve immortality and return to the underworld as a princess. However, it isn’t your typical ... Show More
11m 3s
Mar 10
My father directed Seven Samurai
Akira Kurosawa's film, Seven Samurai, is an epic three-and-a-half hour long black and white film set in 16th century Japan.It was released in 1954 and was the most expensive Japanese film ever made at the time.It is widely considered as one of the most influential films in world ... Show More
10m 35s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2018
Nelson Mandela
Born on July 18, 1918 in Mvezo, South Africa, Nelson Mandela grew up to be an influential activist and political leader. Despite being jailed for decades because he joined the fight against apartheid, Mandela became the first black president of South Africa and one of the most ce ... Show More
54m 53s
Dec 2022
How did Nelson Mandela reconcile his warring bodyguards?
DISCLAIMER: This episode originally aired on 18 July 2022In July Alan Kasujja went on the road with Africa Daily and his first stop was Johannesburg. Alan wanted to hear from people, out and about, and - as luck would have it – he’d arrived just in time for a special day: Nelson ... Show More
20m 5s
Jul 2022
Do young South Africans still believe in Nelson Mandela’s legacy?
Africa Daily is on the road in Africa… first stop: South Africa. And Alan has arrived just in time for Mandela day – a celebration of the former president’s birth. When Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s first democratically elected president in 1994, he was a hero in his own c ... Show More
19m 11s
Apr 2023
The Assassination that Ended South African Apartheid
<p>The assassination of Chris Hani was a pivotal moment in the dismantling of South African apartheid. On the 10th of April, 1993, he was shot dead as he returned to his home in a quiet suburb of Johannesburg. Negotiations between Nelson Mandela's party and the ruling apartheid g ... Show More
28 m
Oct 2020
Nelson Mandela
<p>From November 27, 2000: In what she considers an interview of a lifetime, Oprah talks with philanthropist, revolutionist and former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela. In this memorable <em>Oprah Show</em>interview, Nelson Mandela opens up about his struggles, including ... Show More
37m 43s
Jul 2022
How did Nelson Mandela reconcile his warring bodyguards?
After 18 months of recording the podcast in his spare room, Alan Kasujja is on the road with Africa Daily… and his first stop is Johannesburg. Alan wants to hear from people, out and about, and - as luck would have it – he’s arrived just in time for a special day: Nelson Mandela’ ... Show More
19m 50s
Dec 2023
Trailer
Special thanks to the Mandela Foundation. To find out more about the life of Nelson Mandela, visit NelsonMandela.org.In 1993, after 27 years of imprisonment, Nelson Mandela sat down with ghostwriter Richard Stengel to begin working on Long Walk to Freedom, a critically acclaimed ... Show More
1m 45s
Jun 2023
Winnie Mandela: South Africa's "Mother of the Nation"
Winnie Mandela was hailed as an anti-apartheid hero and reviled as a corrupt child killer. In hindsight, can she be both? If she had never married Nelson Mandela would we even have heard of her? Yes, most likely. Listen to the first episode of season 6 where we dive into the live ... Show More
48m 26s