Mummy Buzz

Dec
11
2013

World Leaders Snap Selfie At Nelson Mandela Memorial

Candid or Uncouth?

nelson mandela

The guest list read like the ultimate political who's who. Yet many are cringing at the 'party' etiquette of several PMs who posed for a group photo at Nelson Mandela's memorial service in South Africa. It's no surprise the image of David Cameron and Barack Obama leaning into Danish PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt, cheesy grins and all, has gone viral. It seems even heads of state don't know when to stash their iPhones.

First Lady Michelle Obama looks thoroughly unimpressed by the antics of Hubby and Co. She's probably thinking even her teenagers know better than to snap selfies at a memorial service, especially when the leaders are supposedly there to pay their respects for the great Mandela.

Around 80,000 leaders rallied together in Johannesburg to commemorate 95-year-old Mandela, referred to as "the anti-apartheid hero" in an article in the Mirror, who died last week.

Of course it's not every day that world leaders get to assemble under one roof. Still, there's a time and a place for shmoozing. You would think presidents, past and present, would have a clue.

It's not clear at what point the already infamous selfie took place during the four-hour long proceedings, which featured a long line of tributes from Mandela's friends, family, and politicos from around the world. Even some celebrities—Charlize Theron, Naomi Campbell, and Bono—turned up at the service.

Was the leaders' selfie in bad taste?