For over 60 years, the words and actions of Nobel peace prize winner Nelson Mandela have embodied principled political engagement - and provided a source of inspiration worldwide

Mention the name Nelson Mandela and many people will immediately picture an elderly gentleman emerging, finally and victoriously, from 27 years in prison. Either that or what for decades seemed impossible ever to imagine - a black man smiling at cheering crowds as he becomes the President of South Africa. He is still regarded as one of the most significant leaders in the world. But the well-documented legend of Mandela's life so very nearly didn't happen at all.

It could be argued that the prison sentence was a triumph, because everyone's expectation at the time was that those on trial would be condemned to death. What saved Mandela was the remarkable three-hour speech that he made at the Rivonia trial in Pretoria in 1964. The content was powerful and the arguments convincing, but it wasn't just what he said that won the day, it was the way he said it.

When Mandela became president in 1994, it was easy to forget how close to disaster the process of democratisation had been in the years between his release and his election. And, when a freely elected government was in place, how hard it was for South Africans of every background to put the past behind them. Many would say that it was the power of Mandela's speeches at crucial points in this story that changed the course of history.

In From Freedom to the Future, a drama documentary inspired by a collection of key speeches, figures such as Desmond Tutu, Albie Sachs, Bill Clinton, Kofi Annan and F Van Zyl Slabbert join journalists such as Fintan O'Toole and Richard Dowden to show that the man who was prepared to die for his ideals, who somehow persuaded bitterly opposed factions to work together and, ultimately, to forgive each other for past wrongs, is a man whose charisma and power shine through in the words he speaks.

At the Rivonia trial (20 April 1964):

"During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."

Refusing first offer of release (10 February 1985):

[Mandela's daughter gave a statement on his behalf] My father says: "I am a member of the African National Congress. I have always been a member of the African National Congress and I will remain a member of the African National Congress until the day I die-

"...I am surprised at the conditions that the government wants to impose on me. I cherish my own freedom dearly, but I care even more for your freedom. Too many have died since I went to prison. Too many have suffered for the love of freedom. I owe it to their widows, to their orphans, to their mothers and to their fathers who have grieved and wept for them. Not only I have suffered during these long, lonely, wasted years.

"...What freedom am I being offered when I may be arrested on a pass offence? What freedom am I being offered to live my life as a family with my dear wife who remains in banishment in Brandfort? What freedom am I being offered when I must ask for permission to live in an urban area? What freedom am I being offered when I need a stamp in my pass to seek work? What freedom am I being offered when my very South African citizenship is not respected? Only free men can negotiate... I cannot and will not give any undertaking at a time when I and you, the people, are not free. Your freedom and mine cannot be separated. I will return."

On release, Grand Parade Capetown (11 February 1990):

"Friends, comrades and fellow South Africans. I greet you all in the name of peace, democracy and freedom for all. I stand here before you not as a prophet but as a humble servant of you, the people. Your tireless and heroic sacrifices have made it possible for me to be here today. I therefore place the remaining years of my life in your hands. Today the majority of South Africans, black and white, recognise that apartheid has no future."

After the assassination of Chris Hani (13 April 1993):

"Tonight I am reaching out to every single South African, black and white, from the very depths of my being. A white man, full of prejudice and hate, came to our country and committed a deed so foul that our whole nation now teeters on the brink of disaster. A white woman, of Afrikaner origin, risked her life so that we may know, and bring to justice, this assassin. The cold-blooded murder of Chris Hani has sent shock waves throughout the country and the world.

"...Now is the time for all South Africans to stand together against those who, from any quarter, wish to destroy what Chris Hani gave his life for - the freedom of all of us. "

On truth and reconciliation (13 February 1996):

"There is a view that the past is best forgotten. Some criticise us when we say that whilst we can forgive, we can never forget."

"...Ordinary South Africans are determined that the past be known, the better to ensure that it is not repeated. They seek this, not out of vengeance, but so that we can move into the future together."

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