The 2018 Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture, in partnership with the Motsepe Foundation, was delivered by former US President Barack Obama in Johannesburg on 17 July.

The Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture is one of the Foundation’s flagship programmes to honour its founder, Nelson Mandela. Every year since 2003, global leaders have used the lecture to raise topical issues affecting South Africa, Africa and the rest of the world.

To honour the centennial of Madiba’s birth, the 2018 lecture’s theme was “Renewing the Mandela Legacy and Promoting Active Citizenship in a Changing World”. The lecture focused on creating conditions for bridging divides, working across ideological lines, and resisting oppression and inequality.

The lecture took place on 17 July 2018, a day before Nelson Mandela International Day, and was held at the Bidvest Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. About 15 000 people attended.

For most of his life, Mandela fought for democracy and equality. His presidency was defined by his efforts to solidify the fragile democracy of South Africa, and by his lessons on the politics of bridge-building over the politics of division.

The Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture is a unique platform to drive debate on critical social issues in South Africa and around the world.