[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 34, Number 13 (Monday, March 30, 1998)]
[Pages 519-520]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Exchange With Reporters During a Visit to Robben Island, South Africa

March 27, 1998

    Ahmed M. Kathrada. Ladies and gentlemen of the media, this is not a 
press conference. You've had your share in Cape Town, and we don't 
believe in double features. [Laughter] But what we want to do now is our 
President is going to hand over to President Clinton a quarry rock, with 
his little finger, authenticated by our President that this is a genuine 
quarry rock from the quarry where he worked for 13 years.
    President Mandela. It's a great honor and a pleasure because, as we 
have said on many occasions, our victory here is victory in part because 
you helped us tremendously. Thank you very much.
    President Clinton. Thank you.
    Mr. Kathrada. May I just say that this is not a press conference. 
Any question must be confined to Robben Island and Robben Island only, 
please.
    Q. We're just interested in your experience. We'd like to hear 
firsthand from you about your experiences in this cell.
    President Mandela. Well, there were pleasant--[laughter]--and 
unpleasant experiences, and it depends how you look at the situation. As 
you know, right down the centuries and in many parts of the world, there 
are men and women who are able to turn disaster--what would crush many 
people--to turn that disaster into victory. And that is what these men 
here, like Mr. Kathrada and others, did.
    And so when I come here, I call back into memory that great saga in 
which the authorities, who were pitiless, insensitive, and cruel, 
nevertheless failed in their evil intentions. They were responsible for 
that.
    Q. President Mandela, can we just ask you, is there--you've been 
back to the island many times----
    President Mandela. Let's come closer, please.
    Q. You've been back to the islands many times. Can you tell us what 
the special significance is of this particular visit with the American 
President?
    President Mandela. There is no doubt that, as I said at the press 
conference, that

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the visit by President Clinton is a high watermark in relation to all 
the visits that we've held. And coming to Robben Island is something 
more important, with that significant achievement of coming to South 
Africa. And we appreciate that very much.
    Q. President Clinton, what are you feeling?
    President Clinton. Well, my first thought was to thank God that the 
person who occupied this cell was able to live all those years in that 
way without having his heart turn to stone and without giving up on his 
dreams for South Africa.
    The other thing that I would say is that I think this is a good 
object lesson in life for all young people. You know, 99.9999 percent of 
the people will never have a challenge in life like the one Mr. Mandela 
faced when he spent all these years in prison. But everyone has 
difficulties, everyone faces unfairness, and everyone faces cruelty. And 
the one thing that is beyond the control of anyone else is how you react 
to it, what happens to your own spirit, what happens to your own heart, 
what happens to your own outlook on life.
    And he is the world's foremost living example of that, and every 
young child, I wish, could think about his or her life that way, and 
there would be a lot more happiness in the world and a lot more 
generosity, because then no one would feel compelled to react in a 
certain way because of what others said or others did. It's a very 
important thing about living.

Note: The exchange took place during a tour which began at 1:15 p.m., 
led by Ahmed M. Kathrada, Chair, Robben Island Council, and a former 
prisoner.