Jacksonville Public Library

Duty and dynamite, a life of activism, Laloo 'Isu' Chiba

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

autobiography

illustrationsplates

index present

non fiction

Duty and dynamite

bibliography

1134501158

Laloo 'Isu' Chiba

a life of activism

"<i>Duty and dynamite: a life of activism</i> traces the life story of Laloo 'Isu' Chiba. The son of Gujarati immigrants to South Africa, he shows little interest in politics in his early life, instead associating with the notorious Fordsburg gangster, Sharif Khan. His gradual politicization in 1950s Johannesburg leads to his recruitment into the first generation of Umkhonto we Sizwe freedom fighters, where he displays resourcefulness and bravery in equal measure. That earns him torture, detention, and ultimately eighteen years in prison on Robben Island. He is devastated by his separation from his wife and three young daughters for close to two decades. On the Island, alongside Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, and Ahmed Kathrada, he excels as one of the transcribers of Mandela's autobiography, a key communications operative, and an originator of the prisoners' garden. Soon after his release, he immerses himself in the politics of the United Democratic Front, where he distinguishes himself as a leading activist of the democratic movement. After 1994, he is called upon to serve as an ANC MP for two terms in SA's democratic Parliament, where he steadfastly fights against corruption in the Arms Deal. This autobiography, published posthumously, talks to a life of duty to the cause of freedom."--Back cover

Chapter 1: The Early Years (1930-1951) -- Chapter 2: A Turning Point (1951-1953) -- Chapter 3: A New Leaf (1953-1961) 0 -- Chapter 4: MK Launch and Indian Recruitment (1961-1962) -- Chapter 5: A Year of Action (1962) -- Chapter 6: Arrests, Torture and Detention (1963) -- Chapter 7: The Great Escape (1963) -- Chapter 8: A Blow to the Movement (1963-mid-1964) -- Chapter 9: The Little Rivonia Trial (1964) -- Chapter 10: Arrival on Robben Island (1965) -- Chapter 11: Life on the Island (1965-1982) -- Chapter 12: Politics on the Island -- Chapter 13: Release and Continued Resistance (December 1982-December 1989) -- Chapter 14: State Repression in the 1980s -- Chapter 15: Unbanning of the ANC and Mandela's Release (1991-1993) -- Chapter 16: The Transition Years (1990-1994) -- Chapter 17: First Democratic Election (1994) -- Chapter 18: Public Representative (1994-2004) -- Chapter 19: The Winter of my Life (2004-2017