History does not repeat itself but it sometimes rhymes. The fact that Barack Obama’s first real presidential trip to Africa coincides with the closing moments of Nelson Mandela’s life could never have been scripted. It is an eerily moving moment. America’s first black president enters the stage just as South Africa’s first black president is taking a bow. No one should doubt Mr Obama when he describes the great freedom fighter as his “personal hero”.
历史不会重复,但有时候会发生巧合。巴拉克•奥巴马(Barack Obama)以总统身份对非洲所做的第一次正式访问正赶上纳尔逊•曼德拉(Nelson Mandela)生命中的最后时刻,这种事不可能是事先编排好的。这是一个奇异而又感人的时刻:美国第一位黑人总统访问非洲之际,正好是南非第一位黑人总统即将“谢幕”的时候。当奥巴马将这位伟大的自由战士描述为他“个人心目中的英雄”时,没有人会怀疑他这句话的真实性。