Robben Island

In February on this year I had the opportunity to take (a first time visit) to Robben Island. Many of you will know that this is where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years of his life.

What I didn't know about the island is that it was not only a prison, but also a defense and military base during WW2. Also it was where those with the unfortunate disease of leprosy were banished to, as well as those who were mentally and chronically ill. Due to the fact that it was an island, they felt it was like a quarantine place for those with contagious disease. Back in the 1800's those with leprosy and the mentally ill or those with other chronic illnesses were sent to Robben Island as there was no known cure or treatment for such people.

It was sad to hear how this tore families apart. Often women with Leprosy who were pregnant were sent to Robben Island and gave birth on the island, raising their children who were born with the disease too.

I also didn't know, prior to my visit, that Robben Island dates back to it's first visitors as early as the 1498.
It became a Heritage site in 1994.

Today people can take a ferry from the V&A waterfront in Cape Town to Robben Island to go and tour it by bus and walk through the prison.
This is the old Clock Tower at the waterfront.

And here you can see a beautiful building with the Ferris Wheel in the background.

We had a guided tour of the prison by an ex political prisoner who was imprisoned while Mr Mandela was there. He was very informative.

This is the Ferry which we went on to get to the Island. I can't say I enjoyed it, in fact it was plain horrible!
My son was as white as a sheet, sweaty and shaky as he felt so nauseous and I thought with every huge swell we went over, my stomach was going to lurch itself out of my body. I am glad I went because I will never do it again!  This ferry ride should be taken on a calm day, unless you have a stomach made of steel!

Cape Town is known is for it's gusty winds and out at sea, those winds and huge swells are very, very scary. Imagine you are sitting below looking out through those windows and all you can see is a huge swell rising, so that it covers your whole vision! It was not nice at all. On the way back we made sure we sat upstairs and it was much better.

This is Robert Mangaliso's house inside where he was under 24hour solitary confinement for 6 years.
I think out of everything I saw on that island, this affected me the most. Putting aside everything else, here was a man, who was chronically ill, his wife and their 4 children separated from their father. They were allowed to spend 3 weeks during the school holidays in this room you see below. I am not sure how often or it if was just once. He had twins and and older son and older Daughter. You hear the guide talking about this, their family and you see the photographs of these children and it just breaks your heart. To think they missed out on having a father. You see letters his family wrote to him.

Below is Mr Mandela's prison cell. Exactly as it was when he lived in there. The red bucket was his toilet.
A thin blanket on a cement floor, his "bed".

This shows the diet that prisoners were given....

It's hard to imagine the harsh conditions in which they lived under. We got to see the lime quarry where they worked until 4pm each day. The lime caused many to become blind and breathing in the lime dust also caused lung cancer. They were not allowed to wear a face mask as this was "not part of their uniform".

In the prison, our Guide showed us the mail room in which all incoming and outgoing mail was censored. By the time the prisoners got their letters from family and friends, it was told to us, they mostly contained "hello" and "goodbye" as they had been cut up to such an extent and "censored" that nothing but the greeting and ending remained!

Robben Island was a very real and sobering visit. I came away with such a feeling of sadness.Today the Island is still inhabited by The ex-wardens,ex-prisoners, the staff and their families who look after the Museum. There is a school, a shop,and a guest house. The Island has a very neglected, sad atmosphere about it though and leaves one grateful to be leaving it behind...

So that was my sad little history lesson for today :)
Not the brightest post, but nonetheless, educational and I guess as a South African, a part of our history which may be of interest to many others too.