Red in the Rainbow. The Life and Time of Fred and Sarah Carneson, by Lynn Carneson
Red in the Rainbow. The Life and Time of Fred and Sarah Carneson, by Lynn Carneson. ISBN 9781770220850 / ISBN 978-1-77022-085-0
Red in the Rainbow not only invokes Fred and Sarah’s lifelong political struggles and triumphs in gripping detail, but also tells a poignant human story of endurance, courage and the survival of a marriage against all odds. Their daughter Lynn Carneson tells it all.
[...] We used to meet secretly in Newlands Forest on the slopes of Table Mountain, at different hours, usually on Sunday mornings. 'Welcome to the boardroom,' Fred Carneson would say with a laugh as we gathered under a large tree deep in the woods, sometimes as soft rain was falling. The early 1960s were particularly dangerous for the underground resistance in Cape Town. If we were spotted, it meant ten years or more in jail for all of us. One by one our numbers were to diminish. Individuals left South Africa to carry on the struggle, usually with great distinction, from abroad. The first to go were Chris Hani and Archie Sibeko, followed by Alex La Guma, Reggie September, Ray Alexander and her husband Professor Jack Simons, and Brian Bunting. Many had already been imprisoned, and some, like Looksmart Ngudle and Elijah Loza, tortured to death. Only Fred was left. We all knew that the security police were waiting to pounce on him. Eventually they did so, and interrogated him with a vengeance for five days and nights, virtually without sleep: he collapsed and required oxygen support. People he was suspected of having worked with were relentlessly rounded up. I was one of them and, like Fred, was subjected to sleep deprivation. The police were hoping to break my spirit and turn me into a witness against Fred. I felt huge indignation: we were being punished not for being bad, but for being good - for fighting for a decent South Africa where everybody would have the vote and be treated as equals. Yet the prospect of being held endlessly in solitary confinement was unbearable. Equally unendurable was the idea of gaining release by giving evidence against Fred. I felt crushed by the dilemma, by my lack of clear courage. Yet Fred performed one more act of bravery: aided by some brilliant defence by his counsel, Sam Aaron, he took full personal responsibility for the underground work he had done. The result prevented us from being called to testify. Greater love hath no man than this, to give his liberty for the lives of his friends. Many of us were saved by his ultimate gesture: Amy Thornton, Simon Eggert, Gillian Jewell and Bernard Gosschalk are just some names that spring to mind. These people, together with many others, formed our generation, of which Fred was a steadfast and energetic member. [....]
This is an excerpt from the book: Red in the Rainbow. The Life and Time of Fred and Sarah Carneson, by Lynn Carneson.
Title: Red in the Rainbow
Author: Lynn Carneson
Type: Biography
Imprint: Zebra Press
Publisher: Randomhouse Struik
Cape Town, South Africa 2010
ISBN 9781770220850 / ISBN 978-1-77022-085-0
Softcover, 16x23 cm, 360 pages, several bw-photos
Carneson, Lynn im Namibiana-Buchangebot
Red in the Rainbow. The Life and Time of Fred and Sarah Carneson
Red in the Rainbow is the story of Fred and Sarah Carneson as fiercely committed members of the Communist Party.
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