NOTE: This footage, taken by a South African government cameraman in 1977, has never been seen before. It shows Mandela's prison cell and near the very end,
several seconds of a tightlipped Mandela, caught by the camera as he worked
with other prisoners repairing a road. The film was shot during a journalists' tour of Robben Island. The tour was initiated
by the government in order to dispel stories of brutal conditions.
By this time - 1977 - Mandela was in many ways a forgotten man. He
had been on Robben Island 13 years and throughout South Africa his image and
words were banned.
As of May 1999, when this site was published, this video clip required RealPlayer 5.0 or G2 and a 56K modem. You may need to upgrade.
These four letters, written from Robben Island between 1976-1979, convey how
Winnie was the love of his life. They also offer a glimpse of the painful guilt
Mandela felt for the wife and family he always had to put second to his
political cause.
In this section from his memoirs, Mandela describes the harsh daily routine
during the early years on Robben Island.
One of the "young revolutionaries" sent to Robben Island the same year as
Mandela, Alexander recounts how Walter Sisulu's and Mandela's arguments for
self-discipline in prison won over "hotheads" like himself. He also details
how Mandela's traits of character were revealed in his dealings with the
authorities and fellow prisoners.
When Mandela was moved to Victor Verster in 1988, Swart became his chef,
glimpsing private times in Mandela's life, including visits from his wife,
family and colleagues. He recounts some of this, as well as anecdotes about
Mandela'a first experience with a microwave; what it was like to drive Mandela
secretly around the Cape Town area; and the events and the atmosphere in the
days and hours leading up to Mandela's historic 1990 release.
He was on Robben Island with Mandela for ten years and shares stories of
Mandela's personal political skills; his effort to learn the Afrikaan language;
and the kind of books he liked to read.
As Mandela's longtime lawyer and constant visitor during his imprisonment,
Bizos relates some revealing anecdotes about the prison years.
He was Mandela's warder for many years, first on Robben Island and then at
Pollsmoor Prison. He sketches many details of Mandela's prison
life--from his beloved garden and taste in music; to how his letters were
censored; and how he helped hide Mandela's newborn grandchild so he could see
and hold him in prison.
This short chapter from Mandela's memoirs describes his relationships with
warders and how his fellow prisoners devised strategies to evade their jailers
and communicate with each other.
A dedicated friend of Mandela who was imprisoned on Robben Island from
1964-1989, Kathrada recounts how the prisoners smuggled out Mandela's
autobiography. He also describes how, years later at Pollsmoor Prison, Mandela
broke the news about his secret talks with the government.
A young member of the Black Consciousness movement, he was sent in 1976 to
Robben Island where his cell was diagnonally across from Mandela's. Moodley
offers several stories about Mandela's attitude and demeanor to his jailers;
discusses why the younger generation felt Rivonia prisoners like Mandela were
in a "time warp;" and recounts how he came to see that Mandela's conciliatory
approach did improve prison conditions.
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