Q. After 27 years of imprisonment, how and where did you find the strength to forgive your enemies?

A. I must correct an impression to think I was just alone in prison and that what I did was conceived by me. {It was a team effort.} You had men there who were better examples than myself. There were some elite prisoners in the opinion of  the jail authorities who were to be feared. They were separated from the rest of the prison population, which was about 4,000. This {elite} group that I belonged to was about 20 or 30 men, who had high levels of education and qualifications, and were widely traveled.  What we {fellow prisoners} discovered was that some guards treated us well in accordance with the regulations so that if we ever won, they should also expect the same treatment in return. Once we knew this, it was       alright. We also discovered there were some whites who thought correctly and didn't support apartheid. That encouraged us. We felt collectively, it was no use dwelling on negative things. The spirit of forgiveness was the result of our (prisoners') collective effort.

Q. Should African Americans be given reparations for the oppression and injustice our ancestors endured and if so, in what form?

A. The best thing to do would be what we did in South Africa and other areas. A National reconciliation commission could be set up composed of the most gifted and talented Americans. {This would need to be} a commission which is truly  representative so that the people of America would have confidence in them. They  would be in a better position to address this question rather than an outsider such as  me.  Anybody who wants reparation has to prove he as an individual was wronged.

Q.  How does it feel to be a symbol of the struggle against racism and a hero?

A. If you believe in collective leadership and teamwork, you won't regard as what has  happened the achievements of one man. If my organization abroad had not decided  to concentrate on me purely for the purpose of organizing against apartheid, you  would not have known of me as well. Sometimes when I read about things that were said about me, I doubted whether this was myself. The success we achieved  was mainly due to the African National Congress (ANC) and others of good will. The ANC was the flagship of the liberation struggle in South Africa. 

Q. What encouraging words do you have for today's youth?

A.  That's a difficult question because of the generation gap. One of my sons came to  visit me and I told him one of my duties was to tell him how he should behave,  study and deal with people. After listening, he said Dad I love you, but you're too backward. All I want to say is education is the most powerful weapon you can  have. Once you've got it, nobody can take it away. Give yourself the opportunity  to use your education to improve, not only your thinking, but also enrich the  moral fiber. If you concentrate on your studies, there's nothing else I can advise you about.

Q. What is the proportion of wealth today in the South African Black community  since the change in government?

A. The process of empowerment has been launched. I've heard some people on the left say this empowerment is not in the interest of Blacks, but of individuals who happened to have these opportunities. There is information that many of  our Black companies are actually not Black companies. Some white persons are behind them and use blacks as the cover or figure heads. The class differences  are emerging among Blacks. But, I'm defending Blacks because you can't  expect them to start employing people before they've accumulated capital themselves. In the first five to seven years, they must repay bank loans for their businesses. The proportion of rich and poor Blacks is growing because of the current economic situation.

Q.  What will be the most important factor in the improvement of race relations in  the United States?

A.  All that I can say is the policies of President Clinton as I see them from a  distance are an improvement compared to the policies of previous U.S. presidents toward minorities and the disabled.  I've taken note of the large sum of money Bill Gates has given to minorities for their education. This will  go a long way in improving race relations. We {the races} must sit down and discuss our differences with each other to resolve them.

Back to Nelson Mandela: Living Legend

Nelson Mandela: Biographical Sketch