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Singing and celebration at Mandela memorial stadium
Tens of thousands of South Africans have joined dozens of world leaders for the national memorial service for former President Nelson Mandela.
The service is being held in front of a vociferous crowd in the FNB stadium in Johannesburg.
US President Barack Obama said Mr Mandela was a "giant of history", adding: "The world thanks you for sharing Nelson Mandela with us".
The former South African president died last Thursday, aged 95.
The country is observing a series of commemorations leading up to the funeral on Sunday.
'A mighty life'At the scene
How do you pay tribute to a man who gave millions of South Africans the chance to start again, the chance to rebuild a broken and divided nation?
You celebrate his life.
A day that was meant to be filled with sorrow and outpourings of grief became a day of celebration as thousands of people from different races and all over the country gathered at the FNB stadium to say their final goodbyes.
If Nelson Mandela could see the people gathered here, I have no doubt that he would be proud. Black, white, Asian and mixed-race people were standing shoulder to shoulder, singing and dancing.
The memorial service is one of the biggest gatherings of international dignitaries in recent years.
There had been fears people would be turned away, but the heavy rain left areas of the 95,000 capacity stadium empty.
Introducing the proceedings, the master of ceremonies, Cyril Ramaphosa, said that Mr Mandela's "long walk is over... and he can finally rest".
The first speaker, friend and fellow Robben Island inmate Andrew Mlangeni, said Mr Mandela had "created hope when there was none".
Mr Obama delivered his address, carried on the White House web site, to huge cheers. He said: "It is hard to eulogise any man... how much harder to do so for a giant of history, who moved a nation towards justice."
He said Nelson Mandela had taught the world the power of action and the power of ideas, and that it had taken a man like Mr Mandela to free not only the prisoners but also the jailers.
Mr Obama said: "We will never see the likes of Nelson Mandela again. While I will always fall short of Madiba (Mr Mandela's clan name), he makes me want to be a better man."
On his way to the podium, President Obama shook hands with Cuban President Raul Castro, an unprecedented gesture between the leaders of two nations that have been at loggerheads for more than half a century.
In his address, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said there was "sorrow for a mighty loss and celebration of a mighty life".
He said: "South Africa has lost a hero, it has lost a father... He was one of our greatest teachers. He taught by example. He sacrificed so much and was willing to give up all he had for freedom and democracy."
Many people stood in the rain waiting for several hours to get into the stadium, the BBC's Pumza Fihlani reports from the scene.
She says the crowds are in high spirits - singing and dancing, stomping their feet - and the stadium has the feel of a political rally.
Rather than seeing the rain as a dampener, many in South Africa have welcomed it.
Continue reading the main storyDefence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said: "It's a blessing from the ancestors welcoming a son of the soil."
One of those attending, Shahida Rowe from Johannesburg, told the BBC: "The core of Mandela's life was humanity. That is why I am here today and the world is celebrating.
"Thanks to him, I was recognised as a human being."
Mr Mandela's widow, Graca Machel, arrived at the stadium to huge cheers as she was shown on the big screen.
There were cheers too of "Winnie! Winnie!" for ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, who hugged and kissed Graca Machel.
However, there were boos for current South African President Jacob Zuma.
He will make the keynote address. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, Chinese Vice-President Li Yuanchao, President Hifikepunye Pohamba of Namibia and Indian President Pranab Mukherjee are also making speeches.
World leaders attending
- US President Barack Obama
- UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
- Cuban President Raul Castro
- French President Francois Hollande
- British Prime Minister David Cameron
- Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff
- Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe
Raul Castro will also speak, reflecting the fact that under his brother, Fidel, Cuba was a staunch critic of apartheid, and Mr Mandela had expressed gratitude for that support.
The BBC's Mike Wooldridge in Johannesburg says the line-up of world leaders is a sign of how South Africa has seen its partners and place in the world since Nelson Mandela became president.
But, he adds, today is as personal as it is political... a recognition that there are lessons for the wider world in everything Nelson Mandela sought to achieve.
British Prime Minister David Cameron is attending Tuesday's memorial, along with Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Labour leader Ed Miliband and former British Prime Ministers Gordon Brown, Tony Blair and John Major.
Mr Cameron told the BBC how he had been struck by Mr Mandela's "incredible grace and forgiveness - how he reconciled people after all those years in jail".
Three former US presidents, George W Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, are also attending, as are Francois Hollande of France, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe.
Other mourners on the list are Oprah Winfrey, Bono, Sir Richard Branson and Peter Gabriel.
They join the crowd at FNB stadium, also known as Soccer City, just outside Johannesburg, near Soweto.
Mr Mandela made his final major public appearance there during the 2010 football World Cup.
'Beautiful send-off'The memorial service, which had been due to start at 11:00 (09:00 GMT), will last about four hours, according to the official programme.
Programme of service
- Memorial service to start at 11:00 (09:00 GMT)
- Interfaith prayers
- Tributes by friends and family
- Ban Ki-moon gives speech
- Barack Obama leads tributes from world leaders
- Keynote address by President Jacob Zuma
- Service due to end at 15:00
Because public seating is not ticketed, the South African authorities felt many people would have to be turned away and set up big screens at three "overflow" stadiums - Orlando, Dobsonville and Rand.
However, correspondents say that the heavy rain, security and transport issues and the fact that Tuesday was not declared a national holiday have kept the numbers down.
Mr Mandela's body will lie in state in Pretoria on the following three days and a state funeral takes place on Sunday in his home village of Qunu in Eastern Cape province.
Two of Mr Mandela's granddaughters, Tukwini and Nandi, told the BBC the family had been working to give him "the beautiful send-off that he deserves".
More than 100 current or former heads of state or government will attend the funeral or the national memorial, according to the South African government.
Among those not attending the memorial events will be Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who cited high travel and security costs.
However there will be suspicion that he wishes to avoid the potential for anti-Israeli protests, the BBC's Middle East Correspondent Kevin Connolly reports. Israel had extensive links with the old apartheid regime and many South Africans identify strongly with the Palestinian cause, our correspondent adds.
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