Nelson Mandela: 'On Robben Island he never asked for special treatment'

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/07/nelson-mandela-robben-island-anc-prisoner

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"In the first years, we were allowed one visit, one letter, every six months. And the letter had to be no more than 500 words. But we had colleagues who were illiterate. Mr Mandela encouraged us all to study – we had to study. Not only politics, but learning to read and write. That type of initiative was very, very important. It also helped morale.

"On Robben Island, the leadership, they led by example. When we were on hunger strikes they refused to be exempted – because we had taken a decision in the ANC [African National Congress] that our senior people, particularly those who were old and not too well, should be exempted. But they refused.

"We knew that the families of Mandela and Walter Sisulu were being harassed by the police all the time – detained, children were tortured, sent into exile – but they never allowed their concern for their families to overshadow their concern for their fellow prisoners.

"When somebody was at a low ebb, as happened from time to time, you'd see Mr Mandela or Mr Sisulu going up to them, cheering them up.

"And Mr Mandela himself, he was offered more than other prisoners. He refused. He said: 'I'll only accept this if all of us are given this. If you're going to exempt me from work, exempt everybody.'

"As an individual, by his actions, he managed to instil into people the notion of equality. All of us are equal. On Robben Island, we would never kowtow to the white wardens or do anything that violates our dignity. He always emphasises that first of all he is not a saint. He is a human being, who has made errors like others. He has managed to instil this notion of equality to people in their millions. He is a symbol of equality for human beings – dignity, equality.

"When he challenged President de Klerk openly in view of the entire world on television, when he chastised him right at the beginning of the negotiation, Soweto was dancing! Here is a black man talking to his white superior – so-called – as an equal.

"So that was dignity. He also brought security to our white compatriots. Because prior to 1994 there was widespread fear among whites that when the ANC comes into power we're going to lose our houses … be driven into exile.

"Among the first things Mr Mandela did as president was inviting the wives and widows of apartheid presidents and prime ministers and ministers to tea … and then there was the famous rugby match in 1995 [when South Africa hosted the Rugby World Cup]. He stepped on to the field with those Afrikaners there to congratulate our Afrikaner team. It was acts like these that instilled security in the minds of white people. So that the exodus was not as great as it could have been.

"Mr Mandela's qualities stand out. His courage, his foresight, his tenacity, his thoroughness, his loyalty. Everything he does, he does it after thinking, after studying. From simple things. For example, when he learned to play chess in prison, he ordered chess books. When we had our little garden he ordered books on gardening. When we resorted to the arms struggle he got books. He's very thorough in everything that he does. So he's got these qualities.

"But he's a complex character. A combination of the peasant and the aristocrat. He was brought up to be a leader; the son of a chief, but the peasant still stays in him. Even before prison, his status evolved in the ANC Youth League. By the time we were arrested he was recognised not only in the country but even abroad as a leader.

"You know politicians can be people who find it difficult to laugh at themselves. Not him. I remember him relating to a crowd. Soon after his release he was in the Transkei and a little girl confronted him. 'How old are you?' And you know he's very patient, he explains very patiently to this child, so that she understands or has some understanding of age – 'I hear you were in prison. Why were you in prison?' So he explains … 'How long were you in prison?' and he explains again. So she kept on.

"Eventually she got frustrated and she says, 'You are just a stupid old man,' so he related this to a crowd. So he's able to laugh at himself without inhibitions; very few politicians are able to do that.

"I think his main legacy will be instilling confidence among all people in South Africa, instilling the knowledge that people are equal, all people regardless of colour; that people can live in peace and harmony and love."

<em>Ahmed Kathrada was sentenced to life imprisonment at the Rivonia trial. He was released in 1990. This interview was conducted in 2011</em>

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