Robben Island
While in Cape Town I’m going to try to take advantage of my free time to explore the city and all it has to offer—which is a lot. Today I went to Robben Island, a decent sized island about 15km off the coast of Cape Town. This island is where the maximum-security prison was operating, and is where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years. I went on a tour of the island as well as one of the prison. The island itself is actually quite beautiful and quaint and offers gorgeous views of Cape Town and Table Mountain. Former inmates lead the tours of the prison. Our guide was great. He had a great sense of humor and just a nice way in general of sharing his and others’ stories. He didn’t try to shelter us as he told of the horrors and injustices that happened behind those gates. But he also highlighted how the inmates worked together and learned from one another; they used their time at Robben Island to study (often into all hours of the night) and to build camaraderie instead of letting the apartheid laws break them down. When they were released, they were quite a force to be reckoned with—including Nelson Mandela, with his often gentle giant approach.
our guide in the prison:
Mandela’s cell:
