African Statesmen - Icons Or Pawns?

I think it depends on how you as an individual view the man.  If you have read about Nelson Mandela or someone like Kofi Annan, followed their history and achievement closely, your views will be different from someone who just knows these figures as international icons and from the media.

Considering the atrocities of the apartheid south africa in which Mandela is iconic, I think we can look at the unveiling of his statue in parliament square as an achievement and recognition of his role for what south africa is today, regardless from who that recognition is coming from.  How many people in history have spent 27years in prison fighting for a cause, a right to their homeland, and then living to not only see that day, but become the first post-apartheid president of south africa, its an incredible achievement.