In 1998, Nelson Mandela received the third honorary degree ever awarded by Harvard outside of a commencement ceremony or a university anniversary. (The first two recipients being George Washington and Winston Churchill.)
In his acceptance speech below, Mandela reflects with wit and humor on the role of intellectuals, and of Harvard in particular, in the democratization of developing nations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Zh8otC-c3s