South African Anti-Apartheid Activist Eddie Daniels to Speak Oct. 17 at UMass Amherst

AMHERST, Mass. – Eddie Daniels, South African anti-apartheid activist and former political prisoner, will speak at the University of Massachusetts Amherst on Wednesday, Oct. 17 at 4 p.m. in the Bernie Dallas Room of the Goodell Building.

 

Daniels will be introduced by John Cunningham, interim chief executive officer of UMassOnline in the UMass President’s Office.

 

Born and raised in the “coloured” district of Cape Town, Daniels worked as a whaler, miner and photographer before he joined the Liberal Party in response to the injustices he saw around him. As repressive conditions intensified, he became a member of the African Resistance Movement, which initiated a campaign of sabotage against government utilities. Daniels was arrested in 1964 and served a 15-year sentence on Robben Island with Nelson Mandela. After their incarceration, Mandela said of Daniels, “We recall his loyalty and courage; his sense of humour and justice as well as total commitment to the struggle of the prisoners for the eradication of injustice and for the betterment of their conditions.”

 

Daniels later recounted his experiences in his book, There & Back: Robben Island 1964-1979.

 

The lecture is free and open to the public. Copies of There & Back: Robben Island 1964-1979 will be available for purchase at the lecture. Daniels will be available to sign copies following his talk.