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The collection consists of seventeen oral history interviews conducted by Kim Worthington as part of her research for her Ph.D. dissertation on the writings of and about Nelson Mandela. The individuals interviewed include anti-apartheid activists as well as professionals, many of whom were also involved in the anti-apartheid movement, such as lawyers, journalists, archivists, and scholars in the field of African history. All of the oral history interviews, to varying extents, discuss the interviewees' involvement with written works on and by Mandela, especially Mandela's memoirs written in prison and his 1994 autobiography Long Walk to Freedom. The interviews also describe the participants' personal memories of how the writings were produced and distributed. In addition, the oral histories detail many of the interviewees' specific roles in the opposition to the apartheid regime and their relationship with Nelson Mandela and other figures in the anti-apartheid movement, including fellow interviewees.
The oral history interviews are arranged in alphabetical order.
Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under
This collection was donated by Kim Worthington in March 2017. The accession number associated with this donation is ML.2017.034.
No materials were separated from this collection.
Kim Worthington Oral History Collection on Nelson Mandela and South Africa, 2016, Public Policy Papers, Special Collections, Princeton University Library.
This collection was processed by Rachel Van Unen in January 2018 at the time of accessioning.
The collection is open for research use.
Kim Worthington is a graduate student in Princeton University's Department of History. A scholar of the history of Africa, Worthington's Ph.D. dissertation is provisionally entitled "Claiming the past to shape the future: the writing of Nelson Mandela, 1975-2013." In addition to her academic interest in apartheid South Africa, she also has experience working in the South African government as a speechwriter and as Director of the Ministry of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology. Worthington received her bachelor's degree and an honors degree in psychology from Rhodes University, South Africa and a master's degree in history from the University of Connecticut.
Ayob describes his legal career (including his defense of Winnie Mandela on several occasions), the circumstances surrounding the publication of various biographies on Nelson Mandela, and his visits to Mandela during Mandela's imprisonment. He also briefly discusses the national government in South Africa in the years since Mandela's tenure as president.
Gerhart discusses her academic interest in South Africa and her impressions of well-known figures in South African history whom she met, such as Steve Biko and Robert Sobukwe. She also recounts the process of writing and publishing Nelson Mandela's autobiography, on which she served as an editor for factual accuracy.
Joffe recounts his role as defense attorney for the leadership of the African National Congress (ANC) at the Rivonia Trial and discusses his thoughts on how the public perception of Nelson Mandela changed during the trial, throughout Mandela's subsequent decades in prison, and following the publication of Long Walk to Freedom. Joffe also talks about his own book The Rivonia Story, which was later retitled The State vs. Nelson Mandela: The Trial That Changed South Africa.
Kathrada discusses his experiences in the Young Communist League and his early impressions of Nelson Mandela. He also describes the Defiance Campaign, the formation of the International Defence and Aid Fund (IDAF), the Treason Trial and Rivonia Trial, Mandela's 1961 interview with British news service Independent Television News (ITN), Mandela's African tour of 1961-1962, and other events, particularly as they relate to Mandela's role as a public figure. Additionally, Kathrada talks about the creation of the Mandela prison memoirs, the political statement made on Mandela's 60th birthday, and the essays compiled into Reflections in Prison, as well as how these writings were smuggled out of the prison on Robben Island and how they may have been altered and dispersed. Long Walk to Freedom is also briefly discussed.
Maharaj recounts the process of transcribing Mandela's memoirs, smuggling them out of the prison on Robben Island, and overseeing the typing of the memoirs, which he states included having some editorial control over the content. He also describes soliciting essays on South Africa's political future (while still imprisoned) from Mandela and other leaders of the anti-apartheid movement, which he later compiled as the book Reflections in Prison. Additionally, Maharaj talks more broadly about communications in the African National Congress (ANC), both internally and with the public, as well as Nelson Mandela's changing role over the decades of the anti-apartheid movement.
Masekela recounts her role as Nelson Mandela's head of staff and offers her insights into the writing and publication process for Long Walk to Freedom.
Pillay describes his work for Operation Vulindlelza and discusses the communications network within the African National Congress (ANC), including communications with Nelson Mandela. He also talks about Mandela's prison manuscript and the South African government.
Raadschelders discusses her role in Operation Vulindlelza and Nelson Mandela's prison manuscript.
Rabkin recounts the process of typing Nelson Mandela's prison memoir, Mac Maharaj's collected Reflections in Prison, and various political documents for the anti-apartheid movement. She also discusses the disposition of the original and typed copies of the memoirs, as well her working relationship with Mac Maharaj and his role in promoting Mandela and in the political machinery of the African National Congress (ANC).
Saleh discusses her work as an archivist for the African National Congress (ANC) archives and her insights to the changing perceptions of Nelson Mandela as interpreted through archival materials. She also describes her knowledge of Mandela's prison memoirs through her employment at the Nelson Mandela Foundation, offers her thoughts on various theories about how the prison manuscript was produced, and discusses the history of other archival materials relevant to the narrative of Nelson Mandela and the apartheid period.
Stengel discusses his role as the ghostwriter for Nelson Mandela's autobiography Long Walk to Freedom.
Strachan recounts his background in receiving and training others in military combat work and his involvement with the African National Congress (ANC), the South African Communist Party (SACP), and the Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM) in Britain. He also describes the ANC presence in the city of Lusaka in Zambia and the attacks on Lusaka in the 1970s and 1980s by Southern Rhodesia and the apartheid regime in South Africa. In relation to Nelson Mandela, Strachan discusses the campaigns for Nelson Mandela's release from prison and his role in typing up a manuscript of Mandela's prison memoirs as well as decoding and typing other political documents.
Venter describes his understanding of the writing and publication process for Long Walk to Freedom and how that book relates to Nelson Mandela's memoirs written while he was in prison, including the version of the prison memoirs that was published on the Mandela Foundation's website. He also briefly discusses his work as a journalist in South Africa during the apartheid era and his impressions of how the public perception of Mandela has changed over time.