At any point in opposing the British forces were you preparing for war? 

 

At many points we were preparing for war, specifically guerilla war. When I was part of the Communist party, I had asked for help from Russia and China. China saw no hope for us, but Russia  had decided to sponsor us, if not just to spite England and her alliances. We did not succeed, and later when my views turned toward democracy they weren't particularly happy. Soon after this I and 165 other ANC leaders were held for trial, and soon I had twenty-seven years in prison to rethink my life choices. It was never outright  declared, but at the time we believed that war was imminent. 

 

Did you ever lose hope for peace at any point in your life? 

 

There were many times in which I lost hope for peace, however a certain moment that stands out to me is when I was preparing my passive-resistance campaign in the early 1950s. I had gone around as the Black Pimpernel, breaking the law and never getting caught. I always went to visit my family, my wife and our two children. I informed the press that I had been as an act of defiance, and reached for help from other African nations, but also European ones, like Norway and Finland. They were sympathetic toward our position. Even through prison they protested for me and my rights. At several points I had been allowed to leave if I had refrained from political action, but this, I could not do.  

 

Why did you join the Communist party, but ultimately create a democracy? 

 

I joined the communist party, at first, reluctantly, as I was coerced into it with an event of anti-apartheid movements, a combination of Indian, Communist and Democratic beliefs, who all came together to, protest Apartheid. But as I came to read the works of Mao Zedong, Vladimir Lenin and Karl Marx, I realized that the principle, very founding of communism is much like Afrikaans belief; that is that we are all equal, and share everything equally and justly. I came to appreciate the principle, but knew such a fair thing could not exist for human greed would get in the way, as had all previous examples of communism. I instead embraced the customs of our oppressors in a show of faith and trust, but if a possible way to carry out such a principle was possible, I would have supported it. 

 

How did you feel having to run away from everyone, even your family? 

 

I felt terrible, but for my safety – and theirs – it was paramount that I took myself out of the equation. That being said, I missed them dearly. I ran around as the Black Pimpernel, informing police of my latest whereabouts in a solid act of defiance for my people to follow. Eventually, after seventeen months of my act I was caught, but I enjoyed my rebellion very much. It could not last however, and I was shipped off to Robben Island Prison just days after my capture on the grounds of treason and sabotage towards the British. I was of course, guilty of these crimes, but the fact that they so easily teared m apart from my family truly scared me. 

 

What was life in prison like? 

 

Life in prison was harsh. We were forced to work in the Robben Island lime-stone quarry, day through night, winter through summer, with barely any clothes, sleep or food. We had to change as a group in front of armed prison guards,  and fights often broke out over basic needs such as food and water. We were beaten within an inch of our life almost everyday, but I was prepared to die for my cause. I stood straight, and kept going, and I survived to fulfill my dream of a unified South Africa.