Achebe and Friends at Umuahia – The Making of a Literary Elite – Softcover

Late one night in July, 1963, a South African police unit surrounded the African National Congress headquarters in Rivonia and arrested a group of Movement leaders gathered inside. Eventually eight of them, including Nelson Mandela, who was already serving a sentence, Walter Sisulu, Dennis Goldberg, Govan Mbeki, Raymond Mhlaba, Elias Motsoledi, Andrew Mangeni, and Ahmed Kathrada, were convicted of sabotage and, on June 12, 1964, sentenced to life in prison. Soon, these men became widely known as the “Rivonia Trialists.” Despite their imprisonment, the Trialists played active roles in the struggle against South Africa’s racist regime. Instead of being forgotten, as apartheid officials had hoped, they became enduring symbols in a struggle against injustice and racism.
Kathrada and his colleagues were classified as high security prisoners, segregated from others and closely watched. Every activity was regulated and monitored. Among the many indignities visited upon them, the prisoners were prohibited from keeping copies of incoming and outgoing correspondence. Kathrada, or “Kathy” as he is known, successfully hid both.
     Letters From Robben Island contains a selection of 86 of the more than 900 pieces of correspondence Ahmed Kathrada wrote during his 26 years on Robben Island and at Pollsmoor Prison. Some were smuggled out by friends; others were written in code to hide meaning and content from prison censors. These are among his most poignant, touching, and eloquent communications. They are testimonies to Kathrada, his colleagues, and to their commitment to obtaining human dignity and freedom for all South Africans.

This book harnesses the collective wisdom of African Psychiatry and therefore serves as a departure point for ongoing efforts to refine practice in accordance with the best practice and local needs. There are a number of chapters dedicated to a range of conditions, covering the most prevalent as well as some emerging conditions ranging from HIV related psychopathology to eating disorders. Additionally, the book provides a focus on a related and pertinent Sub-specialist field – that of neuropsychiatry. There is a chapter devoted to child and adolescent psychiatry – a sub-specialist area that is sorely underserviced. The elderly too are not forgotten in this book. Whilst much is spoken of the youth, it is well to consider the ageing members of society. Psychiatry and the law have also been adequately tackled through a chapter on forensic mental health. The book is a ‘must-read’ for academicians, researchers and practitioners in different areas of mental health. Postgraduate students pursuing various aspects of mental health, undergraduate medical students and diploma medical students will find this book quite ideal.