    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1994, Book II)]
    [October 4, 1994]
    [Pages 1697-1698]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a State Dinner for President Nelson Mandela of South Africa
    October 4, 1994

        President Mandela, members of the South African delegation,
    distinguished guests, my fellow Americans. Mr. President, the American
    people welcome you to the White House on this, the occasion of your
    first state visit to the United States. You've been an inspiration to
    the American people. You have been a genuine inspiration to the American
    people and to freedom-loving people around the world, people who still
    marvel at the price you paid for your conviction, a conviction that our
    country embraces but still struggles to live up to, the conviction that
    all men and women are created equal and therefore ought to have a chance
    to live up to the fullest of their God-given potential and to have an
    equal say in the affairs of their land.
        Your captivity symbolized the larger captivity of your nation,
    shackled to the chains of prejudice, bigotry, and hatred. And your
    release also freed your nation and all its people to reach their full
    potential, a quest too long and so cruelly denied.
        But your story, thankfully, for all South Africans and for the rest
    of us as well, does not end with your freedom; it continues into what
    you have sought to do with your freedom. Because you've found within you
    the strength to reconcile, to unite, to make whole a country too long
    divided, you are giving real life to the magnificent words that begin
    the Freedom Charter you helped to draft nearly 40 years ago: ``South
    Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white.''
        Now, instead of focusing on the past 342 years, when South Africa
    did not belong to all who lived in it, you are building a future of
    trust and tolerance. White South Africans might have fled in fear of
    retribution, but instead, they have had the courage to stay and to join
    you in building a new future for all the people of your land. I would
    say to a world too often torn apart by racial and ethnic and religious
    strife: Watch South Africa as it comes together, and follow South
    Africa's example.
        As an American, and as a child of the southern part of our country
    who grew up in a segregated environment and saw firsthand its horror and
    its debasement of all of us who lived in it, I must add that, as you
    well know, Mr. President, your presence here has special significance
    for Americans. We have been especially drawn to the problems and the
    promise of South Africa. We have struggled, and continue to struggle,
    with our own racial challenges. So we rejoice, especially, in what you
    have accomplished, and we hold it out. And as we hold it out as an
    example to others, so we also hold it out as an example to ourselves.
        Mr. President, I know how proud you are to have your daughter,
    Zinzi, with you on this trip, and I am proud to have her as my dinner
    partner tonight. I know that during your years in captivity you were a
    prodigious letter writer and your daughter was one of your favorite
    correspondents, not least because of her own writing talent. In one
    letter, written from your cell at Robben Island Prison, you counseled
    her as follows: ``While you have every reason to be angry with the fates
    for the setbacks you may have suffered from time to time, you must
    vow''--excuse me. Let me read it again; it's so beautiful, it shouldn't
    be marred by my voice. ``While you have every reason to be angry with
    the fates for the setbacks you may have suffered from time to time, you
    must vow to turn those misfortunes into victory. There are few
    misfortunes in this world you cannot turn into personal triumph if you
    have the iron will and the necessary skill.''
        President Mandela, you have shown us the iron will and the necessary
    skill. And I might add, you have done it with genuine compassion for
    others. We are honored by your presence here. We are honored by the
    promise that your leadership offers your country. We are committed to
    your success and proud of the partnership we have already established.

    [[Page 1698]]

        And so I ask all my fellow Americans to raise their glasses to you
    and to all those who have led South Africa into the bright light of
    freedom.

    Note: The President spoke at 8:50 p.m. in the East Room at the White
    House.