Short description
Sentenced to life imprisonment at the Rivonia Trial in 1964, Ahmed Kathrada spent eighteen years on Robben Island and a further seven in Pollsmoor Prison with, among others, Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu.
Long description
Sentenced to life imprisonment at the Rivonia Trial in 1964, Ahmed Kathrada spent eighteen years on Robben Island and a further seven in Pollsmoor Prison with, among others, Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu. During his incarceration he secretly jotted down quotations which he came across and liked: proverbs, aphorisms, poetry and drama extracts, and passages from books, magazines and newspapers. On Robben Island these quotations were like familiar friends. They helped steel the soul within the stolen body – the authorities might control that body but they could not lock up the mind. A journey which reveals how this remarkable and modest man was able to maintain his dignity and freedom of mind while all other liberty was denied him.