The Annual Nelson Mandela Lectures have been delivered by international leaders from different parts of the world, focusing on themes that include democracy, inequality, justice, progress and topics that the late international icon Nelson Mandela cared about.
Speakers have included leaders in society, politics, religion and culture.
2020
18th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture
Theme: “Tackling the Inequality Pandemic: A new Social Contract for a New Era.”
Speaker: United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres
18 July 2020.
2019
17th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture
Theme: “Constitutionalism as an Instrument for Transformation”
Speaker: Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng
23 November 2019
VIDEO | Chief Justice Mogoeng delivers the 17th Annual Nelson Mandela Lecture
2018
16th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture
Theme: “Renewing the Mandela Legacy and Promoting Active Citizenship in a Changing World”
Speaker: Barack Obama
17 July 2018
VIDEO | Former U.S. President Obama delivers the 16th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture
2017
15th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture
Theme: “Centering gender: reducing inequality through inclusion”
Speaker: Amina J Mohammed
25 November 2017
VIDEO | Amina J Mohammed delivers the 15th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture
2016
14th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture
Theme: “Living Together”
Speaker: Bill Gates
17 July 2016
VIDEO | 14th Nelson Mandela Lecture presented by Bill Gates, 17 July 2016
2015
13th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture
Speaker: Thomas Piketty
Theme: Inequality and poverty
3 October 2015
VIDEO | 13th Nelson Mandela Lecture by Prof Thomas Piketty 03 October 2015
2014
12th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture
Theme: “Building social cohesion through active citizenship”
Speaker: Michelle Bachelet
9 August 2014
VIDEO | 12th Nelson Mandela Lecture
2013
11th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture
Theme: “Building social cohesion”
Speaker: Mo Ibrahim
17 August 2013
VIDEO | Nelson Mandela Lecture : Mo Ibrahim
2012
10th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture
Theme: “Freedom, truth, democracy: citizenship and common purpose”
Speaker: Mary Robinson
5 August 2012
VIDEO | The Tenth Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture 2012
2011
9th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture
Theme: “The making of social justice: pluralism, cohesion and social participation”.
Speaker: Ismail Serageldin
23 July 2011
2010
8th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture
Theme: “Whose memory? Whose justice? A meditation on how and when and if to reconcile”
Speaker: Ariel Dorfman
31 July 2010
2009
7th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture
Theme: “Investment in the marginalised as a way of creating wealth and combating poverty”
Speaker: Muhammad Yunus
11 July 2009
2008
6th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture
Theme: “Behold the new Africa”
Speaker: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
12 July 2008
2007
5th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture
Theme: The progress of Africa
Speaker: Kofi Annan
22 July 2007
VIDEO | Kofi Annan delivers the fifth Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture
2006
4th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture
Speaker: Thabo Mbeki
Theme: “Reconstructing our soul”.
29 July 2006
VIDEO | Thabo Mbeki delivers the fourth Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture
2005
3rd Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture
Theme: “Rise up and walk!”
Speaker: Wangari Maathai
19 July 2005
2004
2nd Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture
Theme: “Look to the rock from which you were hewn”
Speaker: Desmond Tutu
23 November 2004
VIDEO | The Second Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture Address
2003
1st Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture
Theme: “Unleash huge amounts of resources”
Speaker: Bill Clinton
19 July 2003
VIDEO| Bill Clinton delivers 1st Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture
