Not for 90 Days, Always and Herman Melville…

One of the most moving events here at IFLA so far has been the opening remarks of Justice Albie Sachs (and I have heard countless references to his remarks since) during the opening ceremony. Sachs is one of the 11 justices presiding over South Africa’s Constitutional Court. The court was rebuilt over a storied prison in the of Johannesburg. I hadn’t heard of human rights activist Albie Sachs before now, but his recounting of his imprisonment in the 60’s under the apartheid 90 day detention laws and how he survived that time was inspiring. Sachs sang a version of “Always, I’ll be Loving You” (Sachs referred to Noel Coward, but it’s an Irving Berlin song) substituting phrases about his incarceration for the original. “Not for 90 days, Always…” Sachs initially was not permitted any reading or writing materials (besides the Bible) and once he was actually granted access to reading materials, he found solace in……Melville’s Moby Dick. Yes, Moby Dick. He was particularly (and I’m fuzzy, I associate drudgery with reading that work) drawn to the tale of two characters swimming in the story. One repeatedly swam the same course (safe and known) while the other went beyond his comfort zone. Sachs said these “tests” sustained him while he was imprison. He also noted that if it had not been for the unknown librarian who supplied him with these books, he would not have survived. On the importance of libraries to the courts, Sachs says “just as armies rely on their stomachs (for strength), appeals judges rely on libraries.