Robben Island

This morning we all shipped out early and headed to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years. It was great to experience such an intense and emotional part of South African history. To get onto the island we had to take a half hour boat ride which gave us a beautiful view of Table Mountain, Lion’s Head, Signal Hill and Devil’s Peak.  Once on the island, we got a 20-minute bus ride around the prison. The tour guide pointed out the minimum and maximum detention cells the leper graveyard, and the limestone query where prisoners had to dig all day in the heat. After we were taken on a walking prison tour with a former political leader who was imprisoned on Robben’s Island for 5 ½ years. It was neat hearing about the history I read in Mandela’s book and seeing the cell his was locked up in for years and I saw the garden where he hide his Long Walk to Freedom manuscript while writing it in prison. 

My favorite part of the experience was getting to speak personally with the guide. He spoke about getting kicked out of high school at 18 for his political beliefs and being arrested at 24 years old for being a military member of the ANC. Although Robben’s Island treated the prisoners like animals, he said he considered and always will think of the other inmates as family. I asked if it was challenging giving tours at a place that was so cruel and took away all his rights and humanity. He said initially he couldn’t get through a full tour without tearing up or having to end the walk however, after a while he realized talking about his time in prison is the best therapy he could have.