Memorializing at Robben Island

Alone in Cape Town, I set out to learn more about Nelson Mandela and headed to Robben Island. Despite the island looking close, it is a 50-minute ferry ride (11.5km from the V&A Waterfront); you take the same ferry there that used to transport the prisoners. Upon stepping foot on Robben Island and boarding the busses, it is instantly clear that the guides are very thankful for our visit and curiosity. There are three prisons on the island; Mandela was kept in maximum security, their biggest prison, for eighteen years. There were originally more than 1,600 graves (largely due to people dying from leprosy), but today there are only about 200 because the prisons were built on graveyards.

During our tour of the island, we passed the lime quarry where Mandela worked excavating limestone all day every day; he suffered respiratory problems later in life and was unable to cry, both of which are attributed to dust damage from working in the quarry. In February 1995, Mandela gave a speech in the back of the quarry and placed down a stone. Today, there are heaps of stones at the entrance to the quarry, as rocks were added to the pile by various people out of respect after his death.

When touring the maximum security prison, you are given a guide that was an actual prisoner. Our guide joined the liberal movement in Swaziland in 1978 and joined the movement in Botswana in 1983. He worked underground until he was arrested in 1986 and sentenced to 17 years, but he only served five years because everyone was released in 1991.

Some facts about the prison:

• Mandela was arrested in 1962
• Blacks weren’t given bread in prison until 1977
• Prisoners had to carry a prison identity card at all times
• No fresh water was provided for washing themselves, instead they used sea water
• Prisoners were told that they’d only work in the quarry for six months, but those six months turned into eighteen years

Robben Island opened to the public in 1997 to celebrate to human spirit that it represents. It teaches that peace, friendship, and reconciliation cannot be a one-sided battle. After Mandela’s release, he visited Robben Island three on three separate occasions.

 

Where’s Mandela?

We had planned on spending the day at the Shongweni Game Reserve on our way to the Drakensberg Mountains, but after driving in circles, we couldn’t find it and settled for admiring the beautiful rolling hills that make up the Valley of 1000 Hills (hmm I wonder how it got that name?!). We then made another pit-stop at Howick Falls, located directly in the center of town. While it’s definitely a touristy area, it’s worth hitting as the waterfall was beautiful. We perused the markets surrounding the falls, ate some Indian food, and took off (with a Milo milkshake in hand, of course).

We knew that the Nelson Mandela Capture Site was nearby, but weren’t exactly sure where. We asked people in town where it was, they pointed us to the right, and said that we couldn’t miss it. Well, we missed it. The drive was stunning, but after about forty minutes of driving we realized that we most likely passed the site. I hopped out of the car, walked into the nearest restaurant, and asked where we could find the capture site. He gave me directions, pointed in the way from which we came, and said we couldn’t miss it. Naturally, we missed it…again. After seemingly driving past the capture site three times, we found it – fourth time’s a charm?

Travelers Tip: When coming from Howick, if you’ve passed the “Piggly Wiggly” you’ve gone too far.

We walked through the museum about Mandela’s life, but it was very poorly laid out and difficult to follow. For what it’s worth, it seems as if a new museum was in the making.

Just outside of the museum there is a freedom path which leads to the landmarked site. From up the slope, and down the street, the memorial just looks like a bunch of iron bars. As you approach, the bars begin to form Mandela’s face set against a beautiful countryside backdrop. It was a very unique sculpture and definitely worth the 30 minute pit-stop.

In Israel, free men and women are every day demonstrating the power of courage and faith. Back in 1948 when Israel was founded, pundits claimed the new country could never survive. Today, no one questions that. Israel is a land of stability and democracy in a region of tyranny and unrest.

Ronald Reagan

Israel was not created in order to disappear – Israel will endure and flourish. It is the child of hope and home of the brave. It can neither be broken by adversity nor demoralized by success. It carries the shield of democracy and it honors the sword of freedom.

John Kennedy