Robben Island

This is the cell where Nelson Mandela spent years of his life as a political prisoner. Seeing this place and hearing the tales of our tour guide, a former politcial prisoner here, was a moving experience. Among the disturbing practices of the apartheid regime was the allotment of different amounts of food and blankets according to race. They also made ridiculous justifications for their decisions. One rule was that black inmates were not permitted to eat wheat (in the form of bread) because it was "not a part of their natural diet" and instead, they were given maize (corn). However, maize is a plant native to the Americas, so it doesn't follow their logic. They simply invented reasons to treat people more harshly depending on darker skin tone.



In the prison yard, the Mandela and his fellow inmates were forced to break rocks in complete silence, day after day.

Sadly, as grim as it was, this prison seems like a palace next to the jails in Ghana, where non-dirt floors, bathrooms and food are a luxury.

One of our fellow tour-takers asked the guide if there was much brutality between the prisoners. The guide replied that in fact, it was quite the opposite. Those prisoners who had been in for a while looked out for the newbies. They were all working toward the same political aims and saw each other as allies.



Outside of the prison walls, Robben is a pretty place. There's a nice view of Table Mountain from here. Not pictured but everywhere are bunny rabbits. Apparently there aren't many bunny predators here.



Another feature of Robben Island is a penguin colony. Those penguins are cute, but boy do they smell!