Nelson Mandela; Conversations With Myself
Macmillan, London, 2010
Reviewed by Dilip Simeon
Nobility in Motion
This book is a glimpse into the soul of the world’s most famous prisoner of conscience. It contains letters, speeches and reflections of the man who walked into the Presidency of his country after twenty-seven years in jail. Much history is covered in interviews with Ahmed Kathrada, fellow prisoner and recipient of the Pravasi Bhartiya Samman in 2005. Their warm familiarity contrasts starkly with the gravity of their subject matter. He tells us that Chief Albert Luthuli held a passionate respect for Gandhi, but that his own hero was Nehru.
Mandela’s life as an activist, the debates about the ANC’s armed wing, and his travels as a partisan are covered in detail. He describes how moved he was “to see whites totally divested of colour consciousness” in the home of the communist couple Ruth First and Joe Slovo. We see the notes for his 1964 speech at the Rivonia trial that could have resulted in his execution; and we read him exhorting his son to be brave, and work hard at acquiring knowledge. We witness life on Robben island, the limestone quarry whose glare damaged the prisoner’s eyes, the brutal wardens, the experience of solitary confinement. He muses about the lack of female companionship and the potential for sexual jealousy. We follow him into the 1990’s, towards his divorce and his relationship with Graca Machel.
Nelson describes his mother’s visit to Robben Island in 1968: "At the end of the visit I was able to watch her as she walked slowly towards the boat.. somehow the thought flashed across my mind that I had seen her for the last time." She died soon afterwards, and he was not allowed to attend her funeral. Nor was he permitted to attend his son Thembi’s funeral ten months later: his formal request is dignified and heart-wrenching. His complaint regarding the misuse of authority by prison staff reveals much about a polity that waged psychological warfare against helpless detainees. We are left aghast both at the heartlessness of South Africa’s rulers and the awe-inspiring character of the man who forgave them.
Mandela can make us smile: his notepad had pictures of Garfield the Cat; and he complains cheerfully about crowds who drown his speeches with adulation and refuse to let go of his hand. Mandela’s rejection of multiracialism suggest a lesson for Indians: “our demand is for a non-racial society.. it’s not a question of race, it’s a question of ideas.” He conveys profound wisdom via simple expressions: “never say anything unbecoming of the other”; “the anchor of all my dreams is the collective wisdom of mankind as a whole.” And he speaks of his aspirations for “the new generation that declares total war against all forms of cruelty.” Nelson Mandela in his ninety-third year, embodies an unsullied nobility of spirit.
This book is a tribute to the most outstanding statesman of our time.
http://tehelka.com/nobility-in-motion/
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