Mandela: The Lost Tapes

Country: USA

Number of Episodes: 10

Average Length: 45 minutes

Year of Release: 2022

Created by: Audible

In 1993, Nelson Mandela sat down with the ghostwriter of his memoir, Richard Stengel and together they recorded hours of interviews. In this podcast, Stengel presents snippets of those interviews in his telling of Mandela's story - his family background and start in politics, his beliefs and ethos, his time in incarceration on Robben Island and his wives and children. Stengel narrates the retrospective skillfully and with great personal reflection and humor. You'll hear him making playful quips about when he's overstepped and Mandela refuses to elaborate on a topic or when he's made fruitless attempts to probe more meaningfully into his feelings or vulnerabilities (an area that Mandela plainly kept away from). He paints a nuanced portrait of the man that feels alive and packed with warmth and wisdom. I don't think anyone can walk away from this podcast without feeling inspired and heartened. This is a truly rare peek at a truly great man. Unfortunately, it's only available on Audible with a paid subscription (or on trial) but it's 100% worth the effort of signing up.