Journalist and author ALLISTER SPARKS. SPARKS is a fifth- generation South African. He heads the Johannesburg Institute for the Advancement of Journalism. In 1990, he published his historical study of South Africa called "The Mind of South Africa" (Knopf). His recent piece in "The New Yorker," called "The Secret Revolution" (April 11, 1994, p.56), reveals the little known, behind the scenes drama that started unfolding within South Africa almost 10 years ago. The revolution in South Africa that will be played out in next week's all-race elections actually evolved through a series of secret negotiations between Nelson Mandela and members of the white government. The talks started in 1985 while Mandela was briefly released from prison to undergo surgery. SPARKS calls the secret negotiating process a "remarkable phenomenon."
Copyright 1994 Fresh Air