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Global Freedom Fellows share their lessons from South Africa

Former inmates tell us about their journey with the Incarceration Nations Network's global freedom fellows hosted by the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

April 25, 2024
Asanda Matlhare Less than a minute
Beatrice Hangwende: I am an administrative officer with 25 years of experience in non-profit and government agencies. I was serving the death penalty for murder which was reduced to life and ended up being released in 2020. My incarceration came with a lot of lessons, I witnessed the suffering of women. When I left prison, I made a promise to women who were still serving sentences that I would fight for their rights.

Nelson Mandela Foundation hosted the Incarceration Nations Network’s global freedom fellows and this is what former inmates had to say about their journeys with the network…

Thulani Ndlovu: I have been part of the representatives in the Human Rights advocacy and communications workshop group on the national task team on TB and HIV in prisons. I spent 10 years in prison and maybe the question that the population should be asking is ‘Is prison working?’ and my answer is no. The experience of the global fellowship has been healing.
Waldemar Cubilla: I am a sociologist and director of a Justice and Human Rights programme at a university. I would like to emphasise that while being incarcerated, I had time to give power to my words, ideas, and thoughts. Words bring a story and ours is within education and incarceration.
Julie Legrand: I was incarcerated for 18 months which led to my advocacy work with the French Observatory of Prisons. The past few weeks were rich in events, and I learned from my comrades.
Daniel Whyte: I am a co-director of ‘Doing What Matters’ Consultants, a community interest company that works with universities to offer a wide range of degree courses to students in prison. I dedicated myself to establishing the programme while navigating the challenges of leaving prison.
Danny Murillo: Co-founder and associate director of the Underground Scholars Initiative at the University of California, a student service programme dedicated to supporting the success of directly impacted students. One of the things that stood out was the archives at the Nelson Mandela Foundation. Mandela spoke about the smuggling of knowledge out of Robben Island because knowledge was a crime. 

Related articles: The Breastfeeding Warrior premieres at The Nelson Mandela Foundation

April 25, 2024
Asanda Matlhare Less than a minute

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