PRETORIA, South Africa Not much could overshadow the first extended trip to Africa by the first black president of the United States. But as Barack Obama traveled through the continent this week, he faced an avalanche of questions, anecdotes, even prayers not for his own visit – but for the beloved South African leader Nelson Mandela. The deteriorating health of the 94-year-old global icon affectionately known here as Madiba has consumed not just South Africa, where Obama spent Saturday, but much of sub-Saharan Africa. As a result, much of Obama’s trip was transformed into a tribute to Mandela, who led the anti-apartheid movement that coincidentally inspired the political...
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