The service was 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",
describing him as the last great liberator of the 20th Century.
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
The service was 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",
describing him as the last great liberator of the 20th Century.
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'
The memorial service, which began at about 12:00 (10:00 GMT), lasted
about four hours.
It was one of the biggest gatherings of international dignitaries in
recent years, with more than 100 current or former heads of state or government
attending.
There had been fears people would be turned away. But with heavy rain,
security and transport issues, and the fact that Tuesday was not declared a
national holiday, areas of the 95,000-capacity stadium remained empty.
Introducing the proceedings, the master of ceremonies, Cyril Ramaphosa,
said that Mr Mandela's "long walk is over... and he can finally
rest".
Current South African President Jacob Zuma made the keynote address but
was booed in some parts of the ceremony.
He said Mr Mandela was "one of a kind... a fearless freedom fighter
who refused to allow the brutality of the apartheid state to stand in way of
the struggle for the liberation of his people".
Mr Zuma announced he was renaming the Union Buildings in Pretoria, where
Mr Mandela will lie in state, as the Mandela Amphitheatre.
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 prisoner but also the jailer.
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.
A White
House official later said the two had not planned to meet.
"This
wasn't a pre-planned encounter," the official said, quoted by AFP news
agency.
"Above
all else, today is about honoring Nelson Mandela, and that was the president's
singular focus at the memorial service. We appreciate that people from all over
the world are participating in this ceremony."
In his address, Mr Castro paid
tribute to Mr Mandela as the "ultimate symbol of dignity and the
revolutionary struggle".
Under
his brother, Fidel, Cuba was a staunch critic of apartheid, and Mr Mandela had
expressed gratitude for that support.
In his
speech, 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."
The
first speaker, friend and fellow Robben Island inmate Andrew Mlangeni, said Mr
Mandela had "created hope when there was none".
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 were in high spirits - singing and dancing, stomping their feet
- and the stadium had the feel of a political rally.
Rather
than seeing the rain as a dampener, many in South Africa have welcomed it.
Defence
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.
Brazilian
President Dilma Rousseff, Chinese Vice-President Li Yuanchao, President
Hifikepunye Pohamba of Namibia and Indian President Pranab Mukherjee also made
speeches.
The
ceremony was closed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who
asked the crowd to rise to their feet for a final tribute.
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 attended 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.
Three
former US presidents, George W Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, were also
there, as were Francois Hollande of France, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas
and Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe.
Other
mourners in attendance were Oprah Winfrey, Bono, Sir Richard Branson and Peter
Gabriel.
Mr
Mandela's body will lie in state in Pretoria on the following three days.
The
state funeral takes place on Sunday in his home village of Qunu in Eastern Cape
province.
Courtesy Of CHRISTIAN EVENTS SA