Letters from Robben Island: A Selection of Ahmed Kathrada's Prison Correspondence, 1964-1989

by Robert D. Vassen (Editor), Robert D. Vassen (Editor)

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. 
     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. 
     Letters From Robben Island 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.

263 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1999

Reviews

[Moira Downey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feels weird and frivolous to give something like this a rating; the three stars are less about the content (which is often fascinating, even in its occasional mundanity and repetition) and more about the structure and presentation. This edition was not especially well-annotated, and the introductory remarks before each missive added very little. In fact, by summarizing the content of the letter they precede, these addenda frequently did little more than contribute to the sometimes repetitive nature of the read.

[Firoz Kathrada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of my family history and story.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

These letters are proof of a heart and mind so strong and pure as never to be broken in 25 years of imprisonment. That he could walk out of prison with no bitterness or bad feelings toward his captors is amazing, as with all the Rivonia Trialists. Kathrada was among those sentenced in the same trial as Nelson Mandela. Although heavily censored, the editorial intro to each letter helps to decode some of the content including pseudonyms for other prisoners and political situations on the outside. The very first letter declares that he will likely get a "long sentence, maybe a year or more" and just about broke my heart. It is interesting to watch as his relations grow old, babies are born, life goes on through the letters, yet he is in physical contact with only about 30 people for his entire imprisonment. This is only a sampling of the letters, but they were excellently selected to give a view of each year and how life for Kathy continued to change, yet stay the same.