曼德拉昔日看守憶兩人忘年之交

曼德拉昔日在羅本島的看守、陪他熬過漫漫鐵窗生涯的克里斯托·布蘭德近日動情回憶了兩人之間的交情。看似水火不相容的黑人政治犯和白人獄警締結了一段感人的忘年交。

在曼德拉27年的鐵窗生涯中，有18年是在羅本島上度過的。布蘭德1978年開始在羅本島工作，那時他18歲，曼德拉60歲。曼德拉的人格魅力感化了這位獄警，布蘭德越來越喜歡曼德拉，並偷偷給他“特殊待遇”，比如給他帶來麪包和他最喜歡的潤髮油。布蘭德甚至將曼德拉尚是嬰兒的小孫女悄悄帶進監獄，讓他得以享受天倫之樂。

布蘭德回憶說，他曾經和曼德拉開了個玩笑。“我對曼德拉說，你死後我們必須把你安葬在羅本島。他只是笑了笑說：‘爲什麼？吸引遊客？’他說：‘那樣你應該可以賺很多錢，但我想我必須得回古努（曼德拉故鄉）。’他就是這樣和我開玩笑的。”

He was with Nelson Mandela during all those years the anti-apartheid icon was imprisoned on Robben Island. And, like millions around the world, he has been hit hard by Mandela's death. Yet this South African was not one of Mandela's fellow prisoners. Christo Brand was his jailer.

The two men — the black political prisoner and the white Afrikaans warden — forged an unlikely but enduring friendship.

They last met about two years ago when Brand, now in his 50s, brought his wife, son and grandson to see Mandela in Cape Town in a Sunday afternoon visit that lasted nearly three hours.

They had "nice chats about the past, about his family. He wanted to pick up my grandchild, to hold him, which he was a little bit shy to go to him. You could see he really reached out for touching a child at that moment," Brand recalled.

"When I got the message when he passed away, it was very sad for me," Brand told The Associated Press on Saturday. "But I think he was successful and he did what he wanted to do. I wanted him to go in peace and I am thinking of the family today, what they go through."

Brand started to work on Robben Island in 1978 when he was 18 and Mandela was 60. Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in prison on Robben Island.

Eventually Brand grew to like Mandela and smuggled in special treats like bread and Mandela's favorite hair pomade. Brand even sneaked in Mandela's infant granddaughter so that the prisoner could hold her.

For his part, Mandela encouraged Brand to continue his education and maintained an interest in him and his family.

Years later, when Mandela was president, he took special care to single out Brand for recognition while Brand was a lowly civil servant while South Africa's new constitution was being drafted. Mandela flew in by helicopter and entered the room where members of parliament were debating the new constitution, said Brand.

Mandela went around the room shaking hands with parliamentarians but when he saw Brand, who was distributing documents, Mandela lifted his arms and warmly greeted him.

"He immediately made a big announcement to everyone: 'You know who is this person? This person was my warden, this person was my friend.'" Brand said he felt very humble and proud at that moment. After that when the parliamentarians went out for a group photo, Mandela insisted that Brand be in the photo. "He said 'No, no. You must stand next to me, we belong together.'"

Brand once again works on Robben Island which is no longer a prison but a bustling tourist attraction. He and other former guards and prisoners tell visitors about the new South Africa's racial reconciliation.

Brand said he shared a joke with Mandela about his final resting place.

"I say to Mandela that we must bury you on Robben Island. Then he just laughed. He said 'Why? For tourist attraction?' He said 'You should have made money. But I think I must go to Qunu.' That was him making a joke."