Renowned South African judge and freedom fighter Albie Sachs launched his book 'The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law' with a public lecture in the UCL Bloomsbury Theatre on 26 October 2009.

Justice Sachs as twice a refugee from South Africa to the UK. The first occasion, in 1966, followed his detention without charge or trial under the 90-day rule of the apartheid era. After his release, he was immediately rearrested and confined for a further 90 days in solitary confinement.

The second time was after the South African secret service placed a bomb in his car in Mozambique in 1988, leading to the loss of an arm and the sight of one eye.

In the 1990s he was appointed Judge of the South African Constitutional Court by the then President Mandela.

In this podcast, Albie Sachs discusses why he wrote his latest book, the democratic purpose of laughter, and the role universities can play in protecting human rights.