曼德拉演讲稿4篇

presidentbarack obama remarks on the death of nelson mandela

奥巴马发表讲话悼念曼德拉英语演讲稿带中文翻译：

at his trialin 1964, nelson mandela closed his statement from the dock saying, "i havefought against white domination, and i have fought against black domination. ihave cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all personslive together in harmony and with equal opportunities. it is an ideal which ihope to live for and to achieve. but if needs be, it is an ideal for which i amprepared to die."

纳尔逊·曼德拉在1964年接受审判时在被告席上结束他的陈述时说：“我曾为反对白人统治而斗争，也曾为反对黑人统治而斗争。我一直珍藏着一个民主、自由的社会理想，让所有人都生活在一个和谐共处、机会均等的社会中。我希望为这个理想而生并将其付诸实现。但是，如果需要，我也愿为这样一个理想献出生命。”

and nelsonmandela lived for that ideal, and he made it real. he achieved more than couldbe expected of any man. today, he has gone home. and we have lost one of themost influential, courageous, and profoundly good human beings that any of uswill share time with on this earth. he no longer belongs to us -- he belongs tothe ages.

纳尔逊·曼德拉为这个理想而生，并将其变成现实。他的成就超出了我们能够寄望于任何一个人去取得的。今天，他安息了。而我们失去了一位我们任何一个人能在这个地球上与之共渡时光的人中，最有影响力、最有勇气、最无比善良的一位。他不再属于我们——他属于一个时代。

through hisfierce dignity and unbending will to sacrifice his own freedom for the freedomof others, madiba transformedsouth africa-- and moved all of us. his journeyfrom a prisoner to a president embodied the promise that human beings -- andcountries -- can change for the better. his commitment to transfer power andreconcile with those who jailed him set an example that all humanity shouldaspire to, whether in the lives of nations or our own personal lives. and thefact that he did it all with grace and good humor, and an ability toacknowledge his own imperfections, only makes the man that much moreremarkable. as he once said, "i am not a saint, unless you think of asaint as a sinner who keeps on trying."

曼德拉以其强烈的尊严和为了他人的自由不惜牺牲自己的自由的不折的意志，改变了南非的面貌，并感动了我们所有人。他从一名囚徒变成一位总统的历程体现了全人类——以及各个国家——都能变得更美好的希望。他移交权力并同那些关押他的人和解的承诺，树立了一个全人类都应当追求的典范，不论是在国家生活中，还是在我们的个人生活中。而他在做到这一切时还能保持风度和幽默，以及承认自己的不足的能力，这使他更加卓尔不群。他曾说过：“我不是一个圣人，除非你们认为圣人是一个不断努力的罪人。”

i am one ofthe countless millions who drew inspiration from nelson mandela's life. my veryfirst political action, the first thing i ever did that involved an issue or apolicy or politics, was a protest against apartheid. i studied his words andhis writings. the day that he was released from prison gave me a sense of whathuman beings can do when they’re guided by their hopes and not by their like so many around the globe, i cannot fully imagine my own life without theexample that nelson mandela set, and so long as i live i will do what i can tolearn from him.

在被纳尔逊·曼德拉的经历所激励的亿万人中，我是其中一员。我的第一次政治行动——我所做的与一项议题或政策或政治有关的第一件事——就是抗议种族歧视。我认真研读了他的话和他的著作。他走出监狱的那一天，我认识到人类能够在自己的希望——而不是恐惧——引领下所能成就的事业。正如全球各地许许多多的人一样，我无法充分想象没有纳尔逊·曼德拉的榜样我的生活会是怎样。在我的有生之年，我将尽最大努力向他学习。

to graçamachel and his family, michelle and i extend our deepest sympathy and gratitudefor sharing this extraordinary man with us. his life’s work meant long daysaway from those who loved him the most. and i only hope that the time spentwith him these last few weeks brought peace and comfort to his family.

米歇尔和我谨向格拉萨·马歇尔和曼德拉的家人致以最深沉的慰唁，并感谢他们与我们分享这位不平凡的人。他的毕生努力意味着长年累月远离最爱他的人们。我真切地希望与他共同度过的最后这几个星期为他的家人带来了平静与安慰。

to thepeople ofsouth africa,we draw strength from the example of renewal, andreconciliation, and resiliencethat you made real. a freesouth africaat peace with itself -- that’s anexample to the world, and that’s madiba’s legacy to the nation he loved.

对南非人民，我们要说，你们通过重生、和解与坚毅树立的榜样给了我们力量。一个自由、和平的南非——这是世界的榜样，这是“马迪巴”(曼德拉的家族名)为他所热爱的国家留下的遗产。

we will notlikely see the likes of nelson mandela again. so it falls to us as best we canto forward the example that he set: to make decisions guided not by hate, butby love; to never discount the difference that one person can make; to strivefor a future that is worthy of his sacrifice.

我们可能难以再见到像纳尔逊·曼德拉这样的伟人。因此，我们的责任是尽我们所能把他树立的榜样传承下去：基于爱——而不是恨——来作决定;永远不要低估一个人所能带来的变化;努力建设一个无愧于他的牺牲的未来。

for now, letus pause and give thanks for the fact that nelson mandela lived -- a man whotook history in his hands, and bent the arc of the moral universe towardjustice. may god bless his memory and keep him in peace.

现在，让我们停下来，为纳尔逊·曼德拉曾经活着而表达我们的感激之情——他用双手握住历史，把道德宇宙的长虹折向正义。愿上帝保佑他的记忆，使他安息。

XX年12月5日，南非前总统曼德拉因病逝世，享年95岁。美国总统奥巴马发表电视讲话悼念曼德拉，称曼德拉是正义、平等和尊严的象征，他属于一个时代。

presidentbarack obama remarks on the death of nelson mandela

奥巴马发表讲话悼念曼德拉英语演讲稿带中文翻译：

at his trialin 1964, nelson mandela closed his statement from the dock saying, "i havefought against white domination, and i have fought against black domination. ihave cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all personslive together in harmony and with equal opportunities. it is an ideal which ihope to live for and to achieve. but if needs be, it is an ideal for which i amprepared to die."

纳尔逊·曼德拉在1964年接受审判时在被告席上结束他的陈述时说：“我曾为反对白人统治而斗争，也曾为反对黑人统治而斗争。我一直珍藏着一个民主、自由的社会理想，让所有人都生活在一个和谐共处、机会均等的社会中。我希望为这个理想而生并将其付诸实现。但是，如果需要，我也愿为这样一个理想献出生命。”

and nelsonmandela lived for that ideal, and he made it real. he achieved more than couldbe expected of any man. today, he has gone home. and we have lost one of themost influential, courageous, and profoundly good human beings that any of uswill share time with on this earth. he no longer belongs to us -- he belongs tothe ages.

纳尔逊·曼德拉为这个理想而生，并将其变成现实。他的成就超出了我们能够寄望于任何一个人去取得的。今天，他安息了。而我们失去了一位我们任何一个人能在这个地球上与之共渡时光的人中，最有影响力、最有勇气、最无比善良的一位。他不再属于我们——他属于一个时代。

through hisfierce dignity and unbending will to sacrifice his own freedom for the freedomof others, madiba transformedsouth africa-- and moved all of us. his journeyfrom a prisoner to a president embodied the promise that human beings -- andcountries -- can change for the better. his commitment to transfer power andreconcile with those who jailed him set an example that all humanity shouldaspire to, whether in the lives of nations or our own personal lives. and thefact that he did it all with grace and good humor, and an ability toacknowledge his own imperfections, only makes the man that much moreremarkable. as he once said, "i am not a saint, unless you think of asaint as a sinner who keeps on trying."

曼德拉以其强烈的尊严和为了他人的自由不惜牺牲自己的自由的不折的意志，改变了南非的面貌，并感动了我们所有人。他从一名囚徒变成一位总统的历程体现了全人类——以及各个国家——都能变得更美好的希望。他移交权力并同那些关押他的人和解的承诺，树立了一个全人类都应当追求的典范，不论是在国家生活中，还是在我们的个人生活中。而他在做到这一切时还能保持风度和幽默，以及承认自己的不足的能力，这使他更加卓尔不群。他曾说过：“我不是一个圣人，除非你们认为圣人是一个不断努力的罪人。”

i am one ofthe countless millions who drew inspiration from nelson mandela's life. my veryfirst political action, the first thing i ever did that involved an issue or apolicy or politics, was a protest against apartheid. i studied his words andhis writings. the day that he was released from prison gave me a sense of whathuman beings can do when they’re guided by their hopes and not by their like so many around the globe, i cannot fully imagine my own life without theexample that nelson mandela set, and so long as i live i will do what i can tolearn from him.

在被纳尔逊·曼德拉的经历所激励的亿万人中，我是其中一员。我的第一次政治行动——我所做的与一项议题或政策或政治有关的第一件事——就是抗议种族歧视。我认真研读了他的话和他的著作。他走出监狱的那一天，我认识到人类能够在自己的希望——而不是恐惧——引领下所能成就的事业。正如全球各地许许多多的人一样，我无法充分想象没有纳尔逊·曼德拉的榜样我的生活会是怎样。在我的有生之年，我将尽最大努力向他学习。

to graçamachel and his family, michelle and i extend our deepest sympathy and gratitudefor sharing this extraordinary man with us. his life’s work meant long daysaway from those who loved him the most. and i only hope that the time spentwith him these last few weeks brought peace and comfort to his family.

米歇尔和我谨向格拉萨·马歇尔和曼德拉的家人致以最深沉的慰唁，并感谢他们与我们分享这位不平凡的人。他的毕生努力意味着长年累月远离最爱他的人们。我真切地希望与他共同度过的最后这几个星期为他的家人带来了平静与安慰。

to thepeople ofsouth africa,we draw strength from the example of renewal, andreconciliation, and resiliencethat you made real. a freesouth africaat peace with itself -- that’s anexample to the world, and that’s madiba’s legacy to the nation he loved.

对南非人民，我们要说，你们通过重生、和解与坚毅树立的榜样给了我们力量。一个自由、和平的南非——这是世界的榜样，这是“马迪巴”(曼德拉的家族名)为他所热爱的国家留下的遗产。

we will notlikely see the likes of nelson mandela again. so it falls to us as best we canto forward the example that he set: to make decisions guided not by hate, butby love; to never discount the difference that one person can make; to strivefor a future that is worthy of his sacrifice.

我们可能难以再见到像纳尔逊·曼德拉这样的伟人。因此，我们的责任是尽我们所能把他树立的榜样传承下去：基于爱——而不是恨——来作决定;永远不要低估一个人所能带来的变化;努力建设一个无愧于他的牺牲的未来。

for now, letus pause and give thanks for the fact that nelson mandela lived -- a man whotook history in his hands, and bent the arc of the moral universe towardjustice. may god bless his memory and keep him in peace.

现在，让我们停下来，为纳尔逊·曼德拉曾经活着而表达我们的感激之情——他用双手握住历史，把道德宇宙的长虹折向正义。愿上帝保佑他的记忆，使他安息。

下面是xx小编为你精心编辑整理的南非前总统曼德拉励志英语演讲稿，希望对你有所帮助!

i am prepared to die for an ideal

为理想我愿献出生命

february 11,1990

1990年2月11日

i have fought against white domination, and i have fought against black domination. i have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony with equal opportunities. it is an ideal which i hope to live for and to see realized. but if needs be, it is an ideal for which i am prepared to die.

我反对白人统治，也反对黑人统治。我珍视民主和自由社会的理想，在这个社会中，人人和睦相处，机会均等。我希望为这个理想而生，并希望能实现这个理想。但是如果需要，为理想我愿献出生命。

my friends, comrades, and fellow south africans: i greet you all in the name of peace, democracy, and freedom for all. i stand here before you not as a prophet but as a humble servant of you, the people. your tireless and heroic sacrifices have made it possible for me to be here today. i therefore have placed the remaining years of my life in your , i extend my sincere and warmest gratitude to the millions of my compatriots and those in every corner of the globe who have campaigned tirelessly for my release. i extend special greetings to the people of cape town, the city through which — which has been my home for three decades. your mass marches and other forms of struggle have served as a constant source of strength to all political . it has fulfilled our every expectation in its role as leader of the great march to , comrade oliver tambo, for leading the anc even under the most difficult circumstances.

我的朋友们、同志们和南非同胞们： 我以和平、民主和全人类自由的名义，向你们大家致意。今天我站在你们面前，不是作为一名预言家，而是作为人民的谦卑公仆。你们不懈的奋斗和英勇的牺牲才使我今天有可能站在这里，因此，我要把余生献给你们。在我获释的今天，我要向千百万同胞，向世界各地为我的获释作出过不懈努力的人们，致以真诚的、最热烈的感谢。 我要特别感谢开普敦的人民，我以开普敦为家住了30年。你们大规模的游行示威和其他形式的斗争一直是所有政治犯们的力量源泉。我向非国大会议致敬。作为一个领导我们奔向自由的政党，它实现了我们对它的所有期望。我向我们的主席——奥利弗·坦博同志致敬，他在最艰难的环境下领导着非国大。

i salute the rank?and?file members of the anc: you have sacrificed life and limb in the pursuit of the noble cause of our , like solomon mahlangu and ashley kriel, who have paid the ultimate price for the freedom of all south africans. i salute the south african communist party for its sterling contribution to the struggle for democracy. you have survived 40 years of unrelenting persecution. the memory of great communists like moses kotane, yusuf dadoo, bram fischer, and moses mabhida will be cherished for generations to come. i salute general secretary joe slovo, one of our finest patriots. we are heartened by the fact that the alliance between ourselves and the party remains as strong as it — it always , the national education crisis committee, the south african youth congress, the transvaal and natal indian congresses, and cosatu, and the many other formations of the mass democratic movement. i also salute the black sash and the national union of south african students. we note with pride that you have looked — that you have acted as the conscience of white south africa. even during the darkest days in the history of our struggle you held the flag of liberty high. the large?scale mass mobilization of the past few years is one of the key factors which led to the opening of the final chapter of our — your organized strength is the pride of our movement. you remain the most dependable force in the struggle to end exploitation and oppression.

我向非国大的普通党员们致敬：你们在争取自由的伟大事业中赴汤蹈火英勇献身。我向“民族之矛”的战士们——如所罗门·马赫兰古和艾希莉·柯瑞尔——致敬，他们为了全体南非人的自由而流尽了最后一滴血。我向南非共产党致敬，它为南非的民主斗争作出了非凡的贡献。你们经受了40年的无情迫害而坚持了下来。南非世世代代的人民都将怀念摩西·科达恩、余素夫·达都、布莱姆·费舍尔以及摩西·马西达等伟大的共产主义者。我向秘书长乔·斯洛沃致敬，他是我们最杰出的爱国者之一。一个鼓舞人心的事实是，我们和共产党的联盟依然一如既往地坚不可摧。我向统一民主阵线、国民教育危机处理委员会、南非青年会、德兰士瓦省及纳塔尔印度人大会、南非贸易联合会以及其他各种形式的群众民主运动组织致敬。我还要向“黑肩带”妇女协会以及南非学生国民联合会致敬。我们骄傲地看到你们的言行代表了南非白人的良知。即便在我们斗争史上最黑暗的岁月里，你们也高举着民主自由的大旗。过去几年里，大规模的群众动员是揭开我们斗争最后篇章的主要因素之一。我要向我们国家的劳动阶级致敬。你们团结起来的力量是我们争取自由运动的骄傲。你们依然是我们反剥削反压迫斗争中最可依赖的力量。

i pay tribute — i pay tribute to the many religious communities who carried the campaign for justice forward when the organizations of our people were silenced. i greet the traditional leaders of our country — many among you continue to walk in the footsteps of great heroes like hintsa and , you, the young lions. you, the young lions, have energized our entire struggle. i pay tribute to the mothers and wives and sisters of our nation. you are the rock?hard foundation of our struggle. apartheid has inflicted more pain on you than on anyone , we thank the world — we thank the world community for their great contribution to the anti?apartheid struggle. without your support our struggle would not have reached this advanced stage. the sacrifice of the frontline states will be remembered by south africans , black and white, recognize that apartheid has no future. it has to be ended by our own decisive mass action in order to build peace and security.

我向众多宗教团体致敬，在我们的组织被压制得鸦雀无声时，他们挺身而出，展开争取正义的运动。我向我国过去的领导者们致敬，你们中的很多人继续沿着亨萨、瑟库库内等伟大英雄们的足迹前进。我向年轻的英雄主义者们致敬，你们是年轻的雄狮。你们——年轻的雄狮们，给我们整个斗争中注入了活力。我向我们国家里的母亲们、妻子们、姐妹们致敬。你们是我们进行斗争的坚强基石。种族隔离烙在你们身心上的伤痕比任何人的都多。在这个时刻，我们感谢世界——我们感谢世界这个大团体在反对种族隔离的斗争中所作出的伟大贡献。没有你们的支持，我们的斗争不会到达这个新阶段。那些走在斗争前列的国家所付出的牺牲将会被南非人民永远铭记。如果不向我深爱的妻子和家人表示深深的感激，那么我的致敬将是残缺不全的。在我漫长而孤独的铁窗生涯中，他们给了我力量。我相信你们经受的痛苦和苦难远远超过了我自己。在我进一步演讲之前，我愿意阐明我的观点，就是在当前阶段，我只打算对一些问题做初步的评论。等到我有机会和我的同志们深入切磋之后，我将发表一个更加全面的声明。今天，无论是黑人还是白人，大多数南非人都已认识到种族隔离制度已经走到尽头。我们必须果敢地采取我们自己的群众运动来确保国家的和平与安全。

the mass campaigns of defiance and other actions of our organizations and people can only culminate in the establishment of continent is in calculable. the fabric of family life of millions of my people has been shattered. millions are homeless and unemployed. our economy — our economy lies in ruins and our people are embroiled in political strife. our resort to the armed struggle in 1960 with the formation of the military wing of the anc, umkhonto we sizwe, was a purely defensive action against the violence of apartheid. the factors which necessitated the armed struggle still exist today. we have no option but to continue. we express the hope that a climate conducive to a negotiated settlement will be created soon so that there may no longer be the need for the armed , strategies, and , i feel duty?bound to make the point that a leader of the movement is a person who has been democratically elected at a national conference. this is a principle which must be upheld without any , i wish to report to you that my talks with the government have been aimed at normalizing the political situation in the country. we have not as yet begun discussing the basic demands of the struggle. i wish to stress that i myself have at no time entered into negotiations about the future of our country except to insist on a meeting between the anc and the has gone further than any other nationalist president in taking real steps to normalize the situation. however, there are further steps, as outlined in the harare declaration, that have to be met before negotiations on the basic demands of our people can begin. i reiterate our call for, inter alia, the immediate ending of the state of emergency and the freeing of all, and not only some, political prisoners. only such a normalized situation, which allows for free political activity, can allow us to consult our people in order to obtain a mandate. the people need to be consulted on who will negotiate and on the content of such negotiations. negotiations cannot take place — negotiations cannot take place above the heads or behind the backs of our people. it is our belief that the future of our country can only be determined by a body which is democratically elected on a non?racial basis. negotiations on the dismantling of apartheid will have to address the overwhelming demands of our people for a democratic, non?racial and unitary south africa. there must be an end to white monopoly on political power and a fundamental restructuring of our political and economic systems to ensure that the inequalities of apartheid are addressed and our society thoroughly , we base our policy and strategy on the harsh reality we are faced with. and this reality is that we are still suffering under the policies of the nationalist , so that the process towards democracy is rapid and uninterrupted. we have waited too long for our freedom. we can no longer wait. now is the time to intensify the struggle on all fronts. to relax our efforts now would be a mistake which generations to come will not be able to ? role in a united democratic and non?racial south africa is the only way to peace and racial harmony. in conclusion, i wish to quote my own words during my trial in 1964. they are as true today as they were then. i spoke: i have fought against white domination and i have fought against black domination. i have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and — and with equal opportunities. it is an ideal which i hope to live for and to achieve. but if needs be, it is an ideal for which i am prepared to die.

我国各个团体和我国人民的大规模反抗等运动只有在民主制度的确立中才能达到高峰。种族隔离制度给我们这片次大陆造成了难以估量的破坏。我们成千上万人的家庭生活遭到了毁坏。几百万人流离失所，没有工作。我们的经济遭到严重破坏，我们的人民卷入了政治冲突。我们在1960年诉诸武装斗争，建立了非洲人民国民大会的战斗组织——“民族之矛”，这纯属为反抗种族隔离制度的暴力而采取的自卫行动。过去那些要求我们必须进行武装斗争的种种因素在今天依然存在，因此除了继续进行武装斗争外我们别无选择。我们希望，不久将会出现一种有利于通过谈判解决问题的局面，这样就可以刀枪入库马放南山了。我是非洲人国民大会忠于职守、遵守纪律的一员。因此，我完全赞同它所提出的所有目标、战略和战术。和以往一样，现在的重要任务是把我国人民团结起来。任何个别领导人都无法独自肩负起这个重担。作为领袖，我们的任务是向我们的组织阐明观点，并允许通过民主机制来决定我们前进的方向。对于实行民主问题，我感到有责任强调一点，即民主运动的领导人要由全国大会通过民主选举而产生，这是一条必须坚持且不能破例的原则。今天，我愿意向你们报告一下，我同政府进行一系列会谈的目的一直是让我国的政治局势正常化。迄今为止我们还没有开始讨论本次斗争的基本要求。我愿意强调一下，就我国的未来前途，我除了坚持要求在非国大和政府之间进行磋商以外，本人决不会介入和政府的谈判。在采取切实可行的措施使局势正常化方面，德·克勒克先生比任何一位民族主义总统走得都远。但是就如同《哈拉雷宣言》规划的那样，在就我们人民的基本需要展开谈判之前，我们还有更多措施需要实施。其中，我特别强调，我们要求立即结束紧急状态并释放所有而不是一部分政治犯。只有在一个允许人们自由从事政治活动的正常化的环境里，我们才得以和人民商议以便取得人民的授权。在谁将参与谈判以及谈判内容上，我们都需要和人民商议。谈判不能——谈判不能凌驾于我国人民之上或背着人民进行。我们相信，我国的未来只能由一个在不分肤色的基础上通过民主选举而产生的机构来决定。消灭种族隔离制度的谈判必须满足我国人民的压倒一切的要求，即建立一个民主的、不分种族的和统一的南非。由白人垄断政治权力的状况必须结束，还必须从根本上重建我国的政治制度和经济制度，以便确保种族隔离制度产生的不平等问题得到解决，并保证我们的社会彻底实现民主。有一点必须另加说明，就是德·克勒克先生本人是一个正直之人，他准确认识到，一个公众人物如不履行其职责必将带来后患。但是作为一个组织，我们基于我们所面临的严酷现实来制定我们的政策和策略，这个严酷现实就是我们依然在民族主义政府的政策下苦苦挣扎。我们的斗争已经到了关键性时刻。我们呼吁人民要抓住这个时机，以便加快我们的民主进程并不使其中断。对于自由我们等待得太久。我们不能再等了。现在是我们在各条战线上加强斗争的时候了。 现在我们若放松努力将铸成大错，我们的子孙后代将不会原谅我们。地平线上出现一抹自由的曙光，这曙光会激励我们加倍努力。只有通过有纪律的群众运动，我们的胜利才有保障。我们呼吁白人同胞加入到我们塑造一个新南非的行列中来。自由运动也是你们的政治家园。我们呼吁国际社会继续孤立这个实行种族隔离制度的政府。取消对这个政府的制裁就等于冒险，而这种冒险可能会导致根除族隔离制度的进程流产。我们迈向自由的步伐不会逆转。我们绝不允许让畏惧挡住我们前进的道路。按照选民共同的职责，在民主统一且不分种族的南非实行普选，是通向和平与种族和谐的唯一途径。最后，我想引用一段我在1964年受审时说过的话。这段话在当时是正确的，在今天依然正确。我说：我为反对白人统治而斗争，也为反对黑人统治而斗争。我珍视有一个民主和自由社会的理想，在这个社会里，人人和睦相处，机会均等。我为这个理想而生，并希望实现这个理想。但是如果需要，我也准备为这个理想而死。

南非国父、前总统、反种族隔离斗士纳尔逊·曼德拉因病逝世，享年95岁。这是他1994年就职南非总统发表演说的演说词。

演说词：

your majesties, your highnesses, distinguished guests, comrades and friends:

today, all of us do, by our presence here, and by our celebrations in other parts of our country and the world,confer glory and hope to newborn liberty.

out of the experience of an extraordinary human disaster that lasted too long, must be born a society of which all humanity will be proud.

our daily deeds as ordinary south africans must produce an actual south african reality that will reinforce humanity's belief in justice, strengthen its confidence in the nobility of the human soul and sustain all our hopes for a glorious life for all.

all this we owe both to ourselves and to the peoples of the world who are so well represented here today.

to my compatriots, i have no hesitation in saying that each one of us is as intimately attached to the soil of this beautiful country as are the famous jacaranda trees of pretoria and the mimosa trees of the bushveld.

each time one of us touches the soil of this land, we feel a sense of personal renewal. the national mood changes as the seasons change.

we are moved by a sense of joy and exhilaration when the grass turns green and the flowers bloom.

that spiritual and physical oneness we all share with this common homeland explains the depth of the pain we all carried in our hearts as we saw our country tear itself apart in a terrible conflict, and as we saw it spurned, outlawed and isolated by the peoples of the world, precisely because it has become the universal base of the pernicious ideology and practice of racism and racial oppression.

we, the people of south africa, feel fulfilled that humanity has taken us back into its bosom, that we, who were outlaws not so long ago, have today been given the rare privilege to be host to the nations of the world on our own soil.

we thank all our distinguished international guests for having come to take possession with the people of our country of what is, after all, a common victory for justice, for peace, for human dignity.

we trust that you will continue to stand by us as we tackle the challenges of building peace, prosperity, non-sexism,non-racialism and democracy.

we deeply appreciate the role that the masses of our people and their political mass democratic, religious, women, youth,business, traditional and other leaders have played to bring about this conclusion. not least among them is my second deputy president, the honourable f.w. de klerk.

we would also like to pay tribute to our security forces, in all their ranks, for the distinguished role they have played in securing our first democratic elections and the transition to democracy, from blood-thirsty forces which still refuse to see the light.

the time for the healing of the wounds has come.

the moment to bridge the chasms that divide us has come.

the time to build is upon us.

we have, at last, achieved our political emancipation. we pledge ourselves to liberate all our people from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender and other discrimination.

we succeeded to take our last steps to freedom in conditions of relative peace. we commit ourselves to the construction of a complete, just and lasting peace.

we have triumphed in the effort to implant hope in the breasts of the millions of our people. we enter into a covenant that we shall build the society in which all south africans, both black and white, will be able to walk tall, without any fear in their hearts, assured of their inalienable right to human dignity - a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world.

as a token of its commitment to the renewal of our country,the new interim government of national unity will, as a matter of urgency, address the issue of amnesty for various categories of our people who are currently serving terms of imprisonment.

we dedicate this day to all the heroes and heroines in this country and the rest of the world who sacrificed in many ways and surrendered their lives so that we could be free.

their dreams have become reality. freedom is their reward.

we are both humbled and elevated by the honour and privilege that you, the people of south africa, have bestowed on us, as the first president of a united, democratic, non-racial and non-sexist south africa, to lead our country out of the valley of darkness.

we understand it still that there is no easy road to freedom.

we know it well that none of us acting alone can achieve success.

we must therefore act together as a united people, for national reconciliation, for nation building, for the birth of a new world.

let there be justice for all.

let there be peace for all.

let there be work, bread, water and salt for all.

let each know that for each the body, the mind and the soul have been freed to fulfill themselves.

never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another and suffer the indignity of being the skunk of the world.

let freedom reign.

the sun shall never set on so glorious a human achievement!

god bless africa!

thank you.