Day 13 - Robben Island

Today we had a tour of Robben Island, the island that was used to house prisoners, including Nelson Mandela, during apartheid in South Africa. We took a bus to the waterfront, then a ferry across to the island. We walked around the high security imprisonment where Mandela was kept for 27 years and were guided later by a former inmate, Thalani. He led us around and showed us Mandela’s cell and then told us some of his own stories.

            I was somewhat shocked to hear that coloureds and Asians were given more food rations and clothes and accommodations than blacks. I guess that somewhat makes sense considering apartheid ranked highest to lowest whites, coloureds, then blacks. I guess I just wasn’t expecting them to be treated that much differently that they literally would be served less food and given shorts instead of the coloureds’ pants and long shirts.

            Thalani then told us about some of his experiences while he was there- he was 19 when he was first imprisoned and was sentenced 18 years, but wound up serving “only 8” years. Only 8? Only? Sheesh. Anywho, he told us that a lot of the inmates couldn’t read or write and those who could then taught the others. Also, lawyers and doctors and other professionals taught others their skills. Of course this would have to be done in secret, the wardens wouldn’t allow it. His most touching (and enraging) story was one about his dad coming to visit him: The wardens told him he was to have a visit that Saturday morning at 9 o’clock from his father. That morning they told him nevermind, his dad had been shot and he wasn’t going to be coming after all. He later learned that people in favor of apartheid and therefore against blacks planned to shoot him that morning so he wouldn’t be able to go see his son. He was shot 3 times and became confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life…only because he wanted to go visit his son in prison! They only got one visitor per 6 months for an hour, by the way. We were all pretty surprised that this man would be able to come back here and do tours at the place that imprisoned and tortured him.

Nelson Mandela's cell