Celebrations as Mandela's body arrives in home village
- 11 years ago
With singing, dancing and embracing...
South Africans are marking the funeral procession of Nelson Mandela like all of the events since his death.
An ongoing celebration.
(SOUNDBITE) (Xhosa) LOCAL RESIDENT, NOWONGILE BILITANE, SAYING:
"Our chief said we should not mourn when he dies because for a very long time we were in pain when he was in prison. We were mourning because our chief was not around. He was like somebody who was dead. He came back and freed us. And we are free. So now we should rejoice."
His body arrived in the rolling hills of South Africa's Eastern Cape on Saturday.
The procession was given full military honors, along with military planes and armored vehicles.
Locals have lined all the roads leading to Qunu, Mandela's ancestral home and site of his Sunday funeral.
(SOUNDBITE) (Xhosa) UNIDENTIFIED LOCAL RESIDENT, SAYING:
"We saw the coffin -- although it was on the other side of the car window. But we are happy that
South Africans are marking the funeral procession of Nelson Mandela like all of the events since his death.
An ongoing celebration.
(SOUNDBITE) (Xhosa) LOCAL RESIDENT, NOWONGILE BILITANE, SAYING:
"Our chief said we should not mourn when he dies because for a very long time we were in pain when he was in prison. We were mourning because our chief was not around. He was like somebody who was dead. He came back and freed us. And we are free. So now we should rejoice."
His body arrived in the rolling hills of South Africa's Eastern Cape on Saturday.
The procession was given full military honors, along with military planes and armored vehicles.
Locals have lined all the roads leading to Qunu, Mandela's ancestral home and site of his Sunday funeral.
(SOUNDBITE) (Xhosa) UNIDENTIFIED LOCAL RESIDENT, SAYING:
"We saw the coffin -- although it was on the other side of the car window. But we are happy that