A Simple Freedom: The Strong Mind of Robben Island Prisoner, No. 468/64

In the Robben Island prison register, Nelson Mandela was famously recorded as prisoner number 466/64. Number 468/64 was Ahmed Kathrada. Sentenced to life imprisonment in 1964 in the infamous Rivonia Trial, Ahmed Kathrada spent twenty-six continuous years in jail for his political beliefs. During his incarceration he secretly jotted down quotations which he came across and liked: proverbs, aphorisms, poetry and drama extracts, and passages from books, magazines and newspapers. On Robben Island these quotations were like familiar friends. They helped steel the soul within the stolen body -- the authorities might control that body but they could not lock up the mind.