A PRISONER IN THE GARDEN, opening Nelson Mandela's prison archive

209 pp., b/w & colour illus., paperback, New Edition, Johannesburg, (2005) 2013.

Forward by Nelson Mandela.

Introduction by John Samuel.

Nelson Mandela launched the "Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory and Commemoration Project" in 2004 with the aim of opening his prison archive, systematically releasing their contents into the public domain. The project was launched with an exhibition titled "466/64: A Prisoner Working in the Garden", a collaboration with the National Archive that displayed a selection of documents from the official archive, along with elements of the Prison Archive from other sources. This book builds on that exhibition.

"Anyone who has explored the world of archives will know that it is a treasure house, one that is full of surprises, crossing paths, dead ends, painful reminders and unanswered questions. Very often, the memories contained in archives diverge from the memories people carry with them. That is it's challenge. And it's fascination. Engagement with archives offers both joy and pain." Nelson Mandela, from his introduction.