Book reviews

A collection of memories of a great man by Vimla Naidoo and Sahm Venter

I Remember Nelson Mandela is a collection of memories of a great man

IRemember Nelson Mandela is a collection of remembrances from those who worked with, for and beside South Africa’s first democratic President Nelson Mandela.

More than 100 individuals, from household staff to bodyguards and presidential advisors, have offered their memories, which provide warm, poignant and often humorous insights into what it was like behind the scenes with one of the most revered and beloved political figures the world has seen.

“Nothing is more important than to be loved by your colleagues,” Mandela said on 5 August 2008 when he addressed the staff of the Nelson Mandela Foundation at a private celebration for his 90th birthday.

The collection is the dream-child of Mrs Graça Machel who, some months after Nelson Mandela’s passing on 5 December 2013, met with former members of his staff to thank them for their service.

Listening to their stories inspired the creation of the book, providing readers with a glimpse into the man behind the title.

Tata Madiba's widow Graça Machel said the idea to gather the memories of those who served Madiba into a book came from an understanding that most people in South Africa and around the world knew him as an icon and a public figure.

“It was important to me that the stories of those close to him be published so that 50 years from now, even 100 years from now, when future generations want to know who Nelson Mandela was, they would not only be told the story of the head of state, but they would be able to read the story of a human being with a caring heart and generous soul,” Machel said.