Banquet for Rhode Scholars - Rhodes Scholarship Centenary Celebration ; This is the prepared speech. It seems Mandela ad-libbed - see press report below:
Mandela adopts a softer approach on Iraq
Former foreign minister Pik Botha's intended role as a broker in Iraq gave Nelson Mandela the pretext he sorely needed at the week
This series consists of two letters smuggled out of Robben Island in 1977. Mac Maharaj gave them to Judge Thumba Pillay of legal firm of Pillay Seedat & Co. The letters are written by Nelson Mandela and Ahmed Kathrada, both of them wishing to appoint the firm to act on their behalf in legal proceedings against the Department of Prisons. Since the authorities refused contact with their attorneys, they had to use this "illegal" method to seek legal representation. The collection includes an envelope that Judge Pillay had posted addressed to his law firm. He did this in the event that the Security Police questioned him about how he received the letters, he would be able to prove that they were posted anonymously to him. A second donation of Judge Thumba Pillay contains correspondence and documents (mainly copies) pertaining to the case of Mandela vs Minister of Prisons.
This item consists of a letter of 1 page written by Mandela to the Commanding officer of Robben Island, Colonel van Aarde requesting permission to attend the funeral of his son, Thembekile.
Typed statement issued and signed by Nelson Mandela in his capacity as Secretary of the All-in-African National Action Council. The statement expresses disgust at the action of the authorities in closing the Fort Hare and Healdtown educational institutions, thereby victimising students for participating in a peaceful nation-wide protest (being a stay-away which was organised by the Council to coincide with South Africa's becoming a Republic on 31 May 1961). Includes covering note and envelope.
The subseries consists of 12 printed desk calendars with handwritten notes covering the period between 1976 and 1989. The years 1978 and 1985 are missing from the collection. The calendars were used as a diary by Nelson Mandela while in prison and contain entries concerning matters such as visits, dreams, films, books, personal health and politics.
Electronic files (MS Word - converted to PDF and jpeg) of Nelson Mandela's original autobiography written on Robben Island. It covers his life story from birth to about 1976. It was intended that the manuscript be published to mark Mr Mandela's 60th birthday in 1978 and help draw attention to the freedom struggle. The ANC leadership decided not to publish it. It later formed the basis for Mr Mandela's autobiography "Long Walk to Freedom".
Chapter 1 of the unpublished autobiography written on Robben Island in 1976, covering the period between his birth and his passage of rite into manhood.
