Prison sketches by Mandela go on sale for charity

Sketches by Nelson Mandela of his prison on Robben Island are going on display at a gallery in London next month to raise money for a South African charity.

Mr Mandela, 84, who was imprisoned as a terrorist for 27 years, returned to the island off Cape Town to make the charcoal and crayon sketches after stepping down as President of South Africa in 1999.

One series, sketched in simple lines and blocks of colour, features views of Robben Island, where he had spent much of his sentence doing hard labour in a lime quarry. A second set features drawings of hands and fists, representing the fight against apartheid.

A spokeswoman for Belgravia Gallery in central London said: "It's charming work, not the work of a professional artist but they are iconic."

Lithographs of the sketches will be on sale from £1,700 each. The money will go to Mr Mandela's Children's Fund, which helps youngsters in South Africa who are orphaned or homeless or with HIV and Aids.

The exhibition, called Black and White, is at Belgravia Gallery, Ebury Street, London, from 20 September.