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The Friday Documentary: Mandela - In His Own Words

The Documentary: Nelson Mandela: In His Own Words

Nelson Mandela reads from a manuscript

22/10/2010

Nelson Mandela: In His Own Words

BBC World Service - The Documentary, Nelson Mandela: In His Own Words

Listen to Mandela's thoughts on the night of his release from Robben Island

Fergal Keane explores personal diaries, speeches, notebooks and letters from the his release from Robben Island onwards.

*** This programme was first broadcast on 22 October, 2010 ***

Listen to diary excerpts written on the night of Mandela's release from Pollsmoor in February 1990, and hear drafts of his very early speeches as leader of the ANC.

There is a letter discussing the role of police in society, set down on notepaper emblazoned with the cartoon cat Garfield, which ends: 'Let's not leave this meeting showing it's a failure.'

We hear him chiding himself over a 'grave error of judgement' when he proposed lowering the voting age to 14. And we hear extracts from letters and diaries written during his years in retirement as he observes the ongoing political struggles of South Africa.

(Image: Nelson Mandela reads from a manuscript, Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

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