Sunday, April 10 at 1:00 PM at Wellesley Booksmith, 82 Central Street, Wellesley, MA
Ahmed Kathrada – No Bread for Mandela: The Memoirs of Ahmed Kathrada, Prisoner no. 468/64.
Presentation, Book-signing, Refreshments
RSVP: (781) 431-1160 or events@wellesleybooksmith.com
South African civil rights leader Ahmed Kathrada will visit Wellesley Booksmith to speak about his memoir, No Bread for Mandela: The Memoirs of Ahmed Kathrada, Prisoner no. 468/64. This is a rare opportunity to hear about the history of South Africa and to meet a national hero. Ahmed Kathrada is a personal friend of Nelson Mandela (who wrote the foreword). Kathrada and Mandela were tried together during the infamous 1963-4 Rivona Trial and imprisoned on Robben Island. Upon his release after more than 25 years in prison, Kathrada was elected to the South African parliament and served as Mandela’s parliamentary counselor. No Bread for Mandela is the moving and insightful account of a man who served among a loyal cadre of the African National Congress and helped in shaping his country’s history. Kathrada’s life is an inspiration and a model for everyone who seeks peace, justice, and reconciliation.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Ahmed Kathrada’s memoirs begin with his recollections of his childhood, relating his first encounter with apartheid as his formal schooling began when he was eight years old. Due to the apartheid policies of the time, he could not be admitted to any of the “European” or “African” schools in the area and thus he had to move to Johannesburg to be educated. No Bread for Mandela also gives an insider’s perspective on what would come to be known as the Rivonia Trial, offering Kathrada’s behind-the-scenes knowledge of the testimonies, the legal counsel, and the mindsets of the accused. In his memoirs, Kathrada shares the overwhelming relief felt by the revolutionaries as life sentences were handed out instead of the death penalty. Kathrada also explains in detail what life was like for the men as they served their sentences under apartheid on Robben Island, illustrating how his limitations as an Indian differed from the restrictions Mandela and the African leaders faced. In addition to historically documenting Kathrada’s life and struggle, No Bread for Mandela presents a message of equality and freedom that will resonate with generations to come.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ahmed Kathrada was born in South Africa in 1929. He has worked for the goal of a non-racial South Africa since he was 12 years old. After his release from prison in 1989, he was elected as a member of parliament and served as parliamentary counsellor in to President Mandela. In 1994, he was elected chairperson of the Robben Island Council. He lives in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Ahmed Kathrada has received the following awards:
• “Isithwalandwe,” the highest award bestowed by the ANC
• The ANC’s Merit Award, for long service
• Presidential Order for Meritorious Service; Class 1: Gold
• Honorary Doctorate: University of Massachusetts, May 2000
• Honorary Doctorate by the University of Durban-Westville, 2002
• Doctorate of Humane Letters by the University of Missouri, January 2004
• Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award, by President of India, January 2005
• Doctor of Humanities, Michigan State University, December 2005
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