Former President Barack Obama is scheduled to give a lecture in South Africa in July as part of the event to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the birth of Nelson Mandela.
The New York Times reported that the Obama Foundation plans to invite more than 200 young people to Johannesburg around the same period of time in mid-July in order to conduct workshops and technical training that will last five to seven days.
Obama is also set to speak on what would have been the 100th birthday of the late South African president and civil rights icon. Mandela died in 2013 at the age of 95. He received more than 260 honors during his life including the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize.
“It gives him an opportunity to lift up a message of tolerance, inclusivity, and democracy at a time when there are obviously challenge to Mandela’s legacy around the world,” Benjamin Rhodes, a former Obama speechwriter, told The New York Times.
Obama has remained largely out of the public focus since leaving the White House more than a year ago. Although he has made a number of appearances on behalf of his foundation in the last two years, as well as on matters concerning climate change, Obama has avoided directly criticizing the controversial policies President Donald Trump has enforced.
In one of his more visible moments, Obama has voiced support for the students leading the national discussion about gun laws in the wake of a February 14 shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school that left 17 people dead and 40 injured.
Obama also wrote the entry for the Parkland survivors for the Time Magazine 100 Most Influential People list.
Meanwhile, he has also spoken with leaders from Australia, New Zealand, Japan and other nations concerning green energy projects and global warming policies.
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