Robben Island

Maybe one of my favorite days so far: we went to Robben Island and visited the prison where political leaders were imprisoned during apartheid. Literally right after we got off the ferry from the tour a group of us sprinted to catch a cab to go to Signal Hill to paraglide! It was an awesome mixture of history and adventure.

At Robben Island, we learned not only about Nelson Mandela but also about the unjust treatment of all the prisoners. Our guide, Thulani Mabaso, was also a prisoner at the same time as Mandela. Mabaso’s story was one of great suffering and injustice as most of the prisoners’ were. He was convicted of terrorism when the police found out he was part of the opposing organizations and sentenced to approximately 20 years in jail (I don’t remember exactly). He said he was beaten (broken ribs, shocked with electric volts, and used as an ash tray) before he was sent to prison. While In prison, Mabaso told us of the many injustices he suffered there and about the racism even with in the camps. The black prisoners got a watery porridge for breakfast while the colored and Indian prisoners got a thick and meaty porridge; for lunch the blacks got another watery corn meal and water soup while the other prisoners got bread, butter, and jam; and for dinner the blacks got 5 ounces of meat while the others got 6 ounces. Even the uniforms were different -the Blacks got shorts and a shirt while the colored and Indians got pants, a shirt, a vest, and a jacket. Mabaso did tell us that the conditions did improve while he was there and eventually all the prisoners got the same food and clothing and even were upgraded to real beds and not just mats on the floor. While the prisoners were allowed to have visitors after a certain amount of time, applying to visit someone in jail could have consequences. Mabaso’s father applied to visit and was scheduled to come. When Mabaso went to go meet his father, he was informed that his father would not be coming as he had been shot 8 times the previous day (by the information police) and was in intensive care. Mabaso did tell us some of the positive things about being a prisoner: the prisoners formed a very strong support group and shared everything. They even took classes from one another and many prisoners went in with very little education and came out with almost a college degree. Economics, English, math, politics, and other subjects were all taught there by the other highly educated prisoners. I found it interesting to learn that many of the political prisoners of Robben Island are now holding major positions in the government.

We also got to visit Nelson Mandela’s cell, it was no different than any of the other cells: very small with a bed, a bucket, and a cup. It was extremely hard to imagine anyone living there for 27 years. Mabaso explained that Mandela was very highly respected by the other prisoners in the jail and even won over many of his guards. It was a very moving day, as we heard so many stories of injustice as well as support.

Sarah Beatty