Mandela’s Memorial: Obama and Castro’s Historic Handshake, Madiba Assists

At the memorial service for the first black president of South Africa, the first African-American president of the United States of America took the opportunity to make a simple and perfect gesture that changes history — we will see if it really does and when. With nimble feet, he climbed the steps of the Soweto soccer stadium tribune, and the first person he found himself in front of was Raul Castro.

He nonchalantly reached out to the Cuban president and, with slight obeisance, shook hands with the dictator Fidel’s brother, erasing almost half a century of resentment and hatred in an instant and turning to a blank page in the book of history, toward a future that remains to be written.

This trivial act turns out to be a significant moment in history, uniting past and future. Well-versed in diplomatic situations — a master — the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize president reminds us of the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize president’s teaching as a peacemaker and follows his example with this gesture that the White House says was not “planned.”

Among world leaders gathered in remembrance of “history’s last giant,” Obama’s instinct led him to a masterpiece that turned out to be the event of the day for a more or less representative audience of VIPs and leaders. He took advantage of old history in order to create another history, which is possible from now on. What was most graceful is now complete. What remains is fulfilling the challenge ahead.