May 9 - Robben Island

Up at 6:30 a.m. Breakfast at 7:15 a.m. At the ferry terminal by 8:30 a.m. Our destination today is Robben Island.

From Wikipedia:

Robben Island is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 kilometres west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, north of Cape Town, South Africa. Robben Island is roughly oval in shape, with an area of just under two square miles. It is flat and only a few metres above sea level, as a result of an ancient erosion event. It was fortified and used as a prison from the late-seventeenth century until 1996, after the end of apartheid.

Political activist and lawyer Nelson Mandela was imprisoned on the island for 18 of the 27 years of his imprisonment before the fall of apartheid and introduction of full, multi-racial democracy. He was later awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and was elected in 1994 as President of South Africa, becoming the country's first black president and serving one term from 1994–1999. In addition, the majority of prisoners were detained here for political reasons. Two other former inmates of Robben Island, in addition to Mandela, have been elected to the presidency since the late-1990s: Kgalema Motlanthe (2008–2009) and Jacob Zuma (2009–2018).

Robben Island is a South African National Heritage Site as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The island has had many different purposes at first - as a refueling station, and then as sheep grazing land. Around the end of the 17th century, it began to be used for incarceration of political prisoners. It was also used as a leper colony in the 1800 and 1900s. During WWII, two fortified guns were installed to protect Cape Town. From 1961, Robben Island was used by the South African government as a prison for political prisoners and convicted criminals. The maximum-security prison for political prisoners closed in 1991. The medium security prison for criminal prisoners was closed five years later. The original colony of African penguins on the island was completely exterminated by 1800, But, since 1983, a new colony has been established there, and the modern island is again an important breeding area for the species.

After a half-hour relatively smooth ride, we arrived at the island and were ushered onto buses organized by the language spoken by the guide. We toured around the island. Especially poignant were the leper graves and the limestone quarry where prisoners mined limestone and then moved it from one spot to another, only to move it back the next day.

We were then greeted for our tour of the buildings by our guide, Jama. He was a political prisoner on Robben Island from 1977-1982 when he was a young man in his 20s. We toured the spartan buildings. It’s impossible to imagine the deplorable conditions that the prisoners survived. Only with Red Cross influence did they get upgraded to beds from sleeping mats on the floor in the late 1970s.

The ultimate sight was Nelson Mandela’s cell where he spent 18 years on Robben Island. He spent a total of 27 years in captivity. His cell wasn’t marked or denoted in any special way - Jama pointed it out to us. Mandela insisted on being thought of as just the same as everyone else there. He and others helped to organize educational sessions for the prisoners, many of whom arrived as illiterate, and left as university-educated people.

Amid growing domestic and international pressure and fears of racial civil war, President F. W. de Klerk released Mandela in 1990. Mandela and de Klerk led efforts to negotiate an end to apartheid, which resulted in the 1994 multiracial general election in which Mandela led the ANC to victory and became president.

The entire experience of visiting Robben Island was very thought-provoking and humbling. We can never properly fathom the fortitude and patience and the inner strength that these prisoners endured, all in the name of bettering mankind.

We saw a seal basking in the warm sunshine on the pier as we exited the ferry. Cool! Then we took a look at the painted hippos in the courtyard. Poaching to harvest rhino horns as almost decimated the rhino population in South Africa.

When we got back, we found, to our delight that Colette and Sylvia have finally been relocated to this hotel (the Victoria and Albert). As a reward for their cooperation, they have a room with a gorgeous view of the harbour. Sandy’s and my room has a stunning view of the parking lot.

Our two other travelers, Sue and Deb are arriving this evening from Egypt. We’ll be happy to have our little group all together. Our actual organized tour begins tomorrow.Read more