A Day at the Robben Island Prison Museum

I will freely admit (a little embarrassingly) that before coming to South Africa, I did not know a single thing about the country's history. The name Nelson Mandela was pretty much the extent of my knowledge, I couldn't accurately summarize Apartheid if you paid me, and I fell asleep during Invictus. In short, I am the worst.

Over the past month that I've been here, I've heard bits and pieces about the Apartheid days from the locals, and I've driven past many townships. I even spent an evening in the Khayalethu township outside of Knysna partying with some Rastas! One of the first sights I saw on my way into Cape Town was Khayelitsha: thousands of tin houses as far as the eye could see, some barely standing. Khaya is South Africa's second largest township, with over a million inhabitants. It's a city in itself, and I couldn't quite get my head around the fact that so many people were living on top of each other from day to day.

Still, I have to admit my knowledge was minimal, something I wanted to change, as I figured my love for South Africa could only deepen with greater knowledge of its history and people.

I felt that visiting Robben Island, a former prison-turned museum and World Heritage Site where many political activists were incarcerated during Apartheid would really give me some insight. I woke up to a very foggy sky and rumors of rain. I immediately panicked, because the ferry to Robben Island is known for cancelling due to rough water or bad weather, and the day didn't look promising.

I lucked out; my ferry was scheduled to leave at 11:00, and when I arrived at the Waterfront, the ferry was there, and the people at the Nelson Mandela Gateway informed me that we were set to go!

A ticket to Robben Island includes a return ferry ride to the island - half an hour each way - a bus tour around the island with commentary, and a tour through the maximum security prison, guided by a former political prisoner. During the ferry ride over, we did pass over some swells, but after the shark boat, it felt like a bit of a joke.

Upon arrival at the island, I learned some background information about the prison. It had been in operation since the early days of the Dutch and British occupation of South Africa. In the beginning, both men and women with mental illnesses were sent to the island and detained there. It also served as a leper colony before becoming a maximum security prison for anyone opposing the Apartheid government. Most, if not all of the inmates were black, coloured, Indian or Asian. There were many escape attempts, but very, very few success stories. After feeling the freezing water around Cape Town, and meeting the sharks firsthand, I understood why escaping was near impossible.

The prison was in operation until the early 1990s. The last prisoners were taken off the island and sent elsewhere not long after Mandela made his famous speech in 1990.

The bus tour took us around to different sites on the island I did not know about, such as the lime quarry, which prisoners were forced to dig with hand tools such as picks or spades. Because of the bright sun reflecting off the rock, many prisoners suffered partial blindness after time. We visited a church built by the lepers, and the graveyard of Irish settlers who had left their country because of the potato famine, and taken up residence at Robben Island.

The tour guide on the bus was full to the brim of information about Robben Island's history, and made jokes about all the tourists' home countries. She asked the Belgians if they had brought any chocolate, the Americans which state was better: California or Florida, me - the solitary Canadian - when hockey season started, and requested that the Dutch tourists not colonize South Africa again. A fair enough request. It was nice to start the tour with laughter from all parties.

After the whirlwind bus tour, we entered the maximum security prison, and were met by our guide, who had been an inmate during the 1980s. He told stories of his own past. He was arrested, tortured, and thrown in prison. He spent six out of eight years at Robben Island working in the kitchen. He also showed us an example of a prisoner identification card, and read the ranks of the prison: black people were at the very bottom.

I feel that having a former prisoner give the tour was ingenious; I definitely got an insiders' look at the maximum security prison! Although I never got the guide's name, I admire his bravery to coming back to a place where he faced such hardship in order to tell his story to people like me who really can't even imagine such conditions.

The highlight for me, almost needless to say, was walking past Nelson Mandela's former cell. It was a tiny area, among many others, which had housed leaders of opposition parties. It contained a small mat that had been used as a bed, and a bucket - in lieu of a toilet. Another highlight was seeing the pile of stones in front of the limestone quarry. This was where former prisoners held a reunion, and piled the stones in order to symbolize their experience.

One complaint I have about the tour is that we weren't allowed to get off the bus very often, and the whole bus tour felt very rushed. If we spent too long trying to take pictures out the window, the tour guide would become irritable. I understand that there was a schedule, but I personally would have liked to have time to actually experience such an amazing place before being whisked off to the next point on the tour.

Despite the atrocities and indignities suffered at Robben Island, I still felt a sense of hope as I left. I simply look at the people I have met in South Africa, and see that they are making the most of life as it is today. Our guide, who had suffered Apartheid, had come back to Robben Island, willing to share his experience, in order to educate people from around the world. The courage and optimism of the South African people is stunning.

If you're looking for something to do in Cape Town that does not involve sharks or surfing, I strongly recommend Robben Island. It's informative, unbelievable, and essential to understanding the country's stormy past. You may even spot a penguin or two.

"The journey's never long when freedom's the destination."

Questions? Comments? Criticisms? I'd love to hear them all!
the-wanderingjew@hotmail.com