{"product_id":"9780870135279-letters-from-robben-island-a-selection-of-ahmed-kathrada39s-prison-correspondence-1964-1989","title":"Letters from Robben Island","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA Selection of Ahmed Kathrada's Prison Correspondence, 1964-1989\u003cbr\u003eLike his fellow African National Congress member Nelson Mandela, Ahmed Kathrada was incarcerated for over three decades as a political prisoner. This book contains a selection of 86 of his 900 plus correspondences from Robben Island prison.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e Late one night in July, 1963, a South African police unit surrounded the African National Congress headquarters in Rivonia and arrested a group of Movement leaders gathered inside. Eventually eight of them, including Nelson Mandela, who was already serving a sentence, Walter Sisulu, Dennis Goldberg, Govan Mbeki, Raymond Mhlaba, Elias Motsoledi, Andrew Mangeni, and Ahmed Kathrada, were convicted of sabotage and, on June 12, 1964, sentenced to life in prison. Soon, these men became widely known as the \"Rivonia Trialists.\" Despite their imprisonment, the Trialists played active roles in the struggle against South Africa's racist regime. Instead of being forgotten, as apartheid officials had hoped, they became enduring symbols in a struggle against injustice and racism. \u003cbr\u003e Kathrada and his colleagues were classified as high security prisoners, segregated from others and closely watched. Every activity was regulated and monitored. Among the many indignities visited upon them, the prisoners were prohibited from keeping copies of incoming and outgoing correspondence. Kathrada, or \"Kathy\" as he is known, successfully hid both. \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e Letters From Robben Island\u003c\/i\u003e contains a selection of 86 of the more than 900 pieces of correspondence Ahmed Kathrada wrote during his 26 years on Robben Island and at Pollsmoor Prison. Some were smuggled out by friends; others were written in code to hide meaning and content from prison censors. These are among his most poignant, touching, and eloquent communications. They are testimonies to Kathrada, his colleagues, and to their commitment to obtaining human dignity and freedom for all South Africans.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55419767128438,"sku":"9780870135279","price":21.53,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/orig_33790658.jpg?v=1748529187","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9780870135279-letters-from-robben-island-a-selection-of-ahmed-kathrada39s-prison-correspondence-1964-1989","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}