Robben Island
lies
off one of the most beautiful
cities in the world
in hand touching
closeness
like
Dachau
to
Cape Town
For Helen
Suzman
held
in respectful memory:
A woman who made
Me
a teenager
in Chiswick
think
She
a white
woman
would get on her feet
and
speak
"Those who knew her will attest to her
sparkling yet resolute nature and deep commitment to and love for the causes of
justice, human rights and peace.
"It is this very core set of beliefs that led Helen to a noteworthy public
life in South Africa
where she dedicatedly fought for the cause of equality and dignity for all and
diligently fought the apartheid regime from where she was with what she
had."
For 13 years - from 1961 to 1974 - Suzman was the sole representative in
Parliament of the liberal Progressive Party, forerunner of the Democratic
Alliance.
Suzman has been generally recognized as the most effective parliamentary
fighter against the old National Party's apartheid policies when the NP was at
the heyday of its power.
Mr. Mandela wrote of her in his biography: "It was an odd and wonderful
sight to see this courageous woman peering into our cells and strolling around
our courtyard. She was the first and only woman ever to grace our cells."
I have been to South Africa
twice
The last time was with my friend John Stapleton to produce a five day outside
broadcast on the tenth anniversary of the ending of
apartheid
The first time was in 1998
with Eamonn Holmes
and another week long
series of live programming
When I took this shot
scanned from a film slide
and I learnt
how Nelson M
6 foot something
could barely
lay down
legs
out stretched
in his cell
These are the stories
that
must be told
and re told
as John Quincey Adams
has it
so
our
children
will learn
-
(For three of the pictures above, thank you a kep and slugamore at Flickr Commons. And for all the foregoing text and one of the pictures, thank you Steve Punter, also at Flickr Commons, who knows so well that The Cause is Mankind.)
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