[Ailist] Mandela

[coachkac at aol.com]

I may have sent this quote to the list when I came back from South Africa in 2004.? If so, I apologize for sending it again.??It?is so much about AI that I wanted to share it.? His comments are about his sketches of Robben Island (icluding one in which the bars on the windows are painted in beautiful pastels):

"Today, when I look at Robben Island I see it as a celebration of the struggle and a symbol of the finest qualities of the human spirit, rather than as a monument to the brutal tyranny and oppression of apartheid.? Robben Island is a place where courage endured in the face of endless hardship, a place where people kept on believing when it seemed their dreams were hopeless and a place where wisdom and determination overcame fear and human frailty.? It is true that Robben Island was once a place of darkness, but out of the darkness has come a wonderful brightness, a light so powerful that it could not be hidden behind prison walls, held back by prison bars, or hemmed in by the surrounding sea.? In these sketches entited: My Robben Island, I have attempted to colour the island sketches in ways that reflect the positive light in which I view it.? This is what I would like to share with people around the world and, hopefullly, also project the idea that even the most fantastic dreams can be achieved if we are prepared to endure life's challengines."?? 

Happy New Year to all,

Kathy Clark


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