Tuesday evening some 350 members of the Duke and Durham communities gathered at the Chapel to "remember and honor the former South African freedom fighter" Nelson Mandela.
The Rev. Luke Powery, dean of Duke Chapel, began the 45-minute interfaith service that coincided with World Human Rights Day. Organizers included the Concilium on South Africa (COSA), Duke Africa, the Africa Initiative and the Africa Conversations Club.
Anne-Maria Makhulu, a professor of African and African American studies, read an excerpt from Mandela's 1964 statement from the dock during the Rivonia trial where he said he was prepared to die for a free and democratic South Africa.
African and African American studies professor Karin Shapiro and Catherine Admay, a visiting professor of public policy, each read a reflection by South African Methodist minister Peter Storey, a professor emeritus in the Duke Divinity School who worked alongside Mandela.
Storey said he was struck by how Mandela was inclusive of all faith communities. Ministers from the Jewish, Presbyterian and Muslim communities offered prayers for the man who helped a country heal from the "cancer of apartheid."
"Give us the strength to pass his name through the generations as a maker of peace and world healing," said Rabbi John Friedman.
Some of the evening's most poignant remarks came from Duke sophomore Busi Sibeko, a native of South Africa.
"We do not mourn but we are humbled by his sacrifices. Those born in my generation will never understand the evils of the apartheid regime," said Sibeko, adding that his death has made her reflect on her duties to her country. "His legacy lives on in all of us. I believe he can now rest in peace."
Below: A moment of prayer at the memorial service for Nelson Mandela Tuesday. Photo by Megan Morr/Duke University Photography
