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Journalist Allister Sparks Discusses South Africa's Secret Negotiations with Nelson Mandela.

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."

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Other segments from the episode on April 21, 1994

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, April 21, 1994: Interview with Allister Sparks; Interview with R. Laurence Moore; Review of the film "Backbeat."
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South African journalist Allister Sparks has written about secret negotiations that started in 1986 between South African leaders and then-jailed political prisoner Nelson Mandela. The meetings ultimately led to the dismantling of Apartheid. Sparks' new book is Tomorrow is Another Country. He served as South African Correspondent for The Observer and for The Washington Post from 1981-1992. He lives in Johannesburg, South Africa.

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