While Nelson Mandela was in prison in South Africa, his wife, Winnie,
had to live under severe governmental regulations
which restricted her
freedom of movement. The
government banished her, placing her under
virtual house arrest. Given this antagonistic stance of the government
toward her, Winnie Mandela could not then write a traditional
autobiography, telling the world of her life under apartheid and the
development of her political beliefs.The editor of this book
Anne Benjamin, assumes full responsibility for this telling of
Mandela’s life story. She made a number of visits to Mandela’s place of
residence in Brandfort, where she lived under constant police
surveillance. Through conversations with her, Benjamin learned of
Mandela’s devotion to “the struggle” and her ability to endure all the
hardships placed upon her by the South African government. For 23
years, it caused her to be separated from her
husband. To
assist her in understanding the Mandela story, Winnie Mandela let
Benjamin look at letters she received from her imprisoned husband.Those
letters provided primary source material for this book, along with the
in-person interviews which Benjamin did with Mandela. As she points
out, Winnie Mandela did not see the completed manuscript before
publication. Consequently, any errors in the compilation and
presentation of materials is hers (Benjamin’s) alone. Today,
of course, apartheid has officially ended in South Africa. It is no
longer legal to keep the races separate. And, Nelson Mandela won
election as president of the country, once he was released from prison
in the 1990s. While only he can Winnie will ever know the depths of the
pains caused them by the way the South African government treated them,
this book serves to offer some insights into what they were
experiencing during the period of Nelson’s imprisonment.