Context:
The political prisoners took part in work and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunger_strike– the latter considered largely ineffective by Mandela – to improve prison conditions, viewing this as a microcosm of the anti-apartheid struggle.
[133] ANC prisoners elected him to their four-man "High Organ" along with Sisulu,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Govan_Mbeki and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Mhlaba, and he involved himself in a group representing all political prisoners on the island, Ulundi, through which he forged links with PAC and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yu_Chi_Chan_Club members.
[134] Initiating the "University of Robben Island", whereby prisoners lectured on their own areas of expertise, he debated topics such as homosexuality and politics with his comrades, getting into fierce arguments on the latter with Marxists like Mbeki and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Gwala.
[135] Though attending Christian Sunday services, Mandela studied Islam.
[136] He also studied
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrikaans, hoping to build a mutual respect with the warders and convert them to his cause.
[137] Various official visitors met with Mandela; most significant was the liberal parliamentary representative
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Suzman of the
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ProgressiveParty(South_Africa), who championed Mandela's cause outside prison.
[138] In September 1970 he met British
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LabourParty(UK) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Member_of_Parliament http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Healey.
[139] South African Minister of Justice
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Kruger visited in December 1974,
but he and Mandela did not get on.
[140] His mother visited in 1968, dying shortly after, and his firstborn son Thembi died in a car accident the following year; Mandela was forbidden from attending either funeral.
[141] His wife was rarely able to visit, being regularly imprisoned for political activity, and his daughters first visited in December 1975; Winnie got out of prison in 1977 but was forcibly settled in
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandfort, still unable to visit him.
[142]