One of London's most prestigious museums has helped bring a rare recording of former South African leader Mr Nelson Mandela, unheard for more than 30 years, back to life.
|
|
Mr Nelson Mendela:
Democracy "is an ideal for which I am prepared to die" |
The recording is of a three-hour speech he made at his trial in 1964, before he was sentenced to life imprisonment.
It had been stored in the South African National Archives, but could only be played on a rare machine known as a dictabelt. The British Library had saved just such a machine, and offered its services after hearing an appeal from the South African Broadcasting Corporation which had "rediscovered" the trial tapes in the archives.
To mark the eleventh anniversary of Mr Mandela's release from Robben Island jail today the British Library's National Archive has released the recordings on CD.
In the recording on April 20th, 1964 a young Mr Mandela said from the dock: "I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony and with equal opportunities.
"It is an ideal for which I hope to live for and to see realised.
"But my Lord, if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."
Mr Mandela, along with 15 other leaders of the African National Congress (ANC) escaped the death penalty but were sentenced to life imprisonment.
He began his sentence at Robben Island prison in June 1964 and was finally released on February 11th, 1990.
Mr Mandela is heard to say that he decided to help his people prepare for the prospect of guerrilla warfare because if war became "inevitable" they wanted to be ready.
He added: "I know this sounds revolutionary to the whites in this country, because the majority of voters will be Africans. This makes the white man fear democracy.
"But this fear cannot be allowed to stand in the way of the only solution which will guarantee racial harmony and freedom for all."
AFP