October 3, 2011
On the way to Robben Island, we passed the US Consulate, where a couple people had to go to get their passports that had been stolen or lost in SA. Our tour guide informed us as we drove past, that the two safest buildings in South Africa are the US consulate here and the US embassy in Johannesburg. Kinda puts into perspective that the two safest buildings in South Africa are not even from South Africa.
Our guide, Mike, got our tickets and we climbed onto the ferry that took us to Robben Island. The trip was about 30 minutes, both trips we were the last ones on so we didn’t get to sit on the deck outside. But there were airline-like seats inside and it was a nice smooth ride. Once we docked, it became a very surreal experience. This was the exact same dock where only a few years earlier they were unloading political prisoners during the Apartheid era – the most famous of course, was Nelson Mandela. It was eerie – the sun was shining, the birds were everywhere, yet it was a place with such a dark past.
We first loaded on to the buses for the tour of the island itself. We drove past a leper graveyard and our guide explained that the island was initially used as a place to send lepers to die a slow, lonely death since the disease was misunderstood and believed to be incredibly contagious. We then drove through the small town where 200 plus people still reside to this day; most are tour guides and people who run the site. What is incredibly amazing is that former prisoners and guards live here in perfect harmony. The past has been forgiven for it is understood that holding grudges will not get anyone anywhere and will do nothing but hold the country of South Africa even further back. They have one grocery store, one school, one post office and a crime rate of zero.
We also stopped by the stone quarry where the prisoners were forced to break down the limestone cliffs. They were not given hats, sunscreen or sunglasses and many suffer severely today because of it. For example, Nelson Mandela does not shed tears when he cries and whenever he gets his photo taken by anyone, no flash can be used because his tear ducts no longer function. When the prisoners asked for such items while imprisoned, the guards informed them that it “was not part of their uniform”. There was a cave toward the back of the quarry where the prisoners were allowed to rest from the sun and get water. In the cave, the very well educated political prisoners would teach the illiterate ones how to read and write. The motto was “Each one teach one”. In fact, the current South African constitution was discussed and laid out in that cave.
After the cliffs had been broken down, the prisoners would be forced to move the stones from the left side of the quarry to the right. The next day, they would move them from the right to the left. In spirit of this senseless act, when Mandela was back on Robben Island for a commemorative visit with many other former prisoners in 2005, he stepped forward and took a stone and placed it at the front of the quarry. Completely unplanned, the rest of the prisoners wordlessly followed suite, creating a pyramid of different shaped rocks. The pyramid is said to represent South Africa, for it is a country built of many different kinds of people and through a violent past, but it has the capability to be steady, strong and enduring.
After the bus tour, we were sent into the prison where we met our guide, Jama, a former political prisoner. He was on Robben Island for 5 years for inciting school riots. He showed us around the cell blocks and told us about the bleak lives of inmates during the Apartheid era. Nelson Mandela was there for 18 years. He was held in solitary confinement so that he could not speak with other prisoners and conspire with or inspire anyone. He had a small garden in the corner of the outdoor area where he hid his manuscript for Long Walk to Freedom which was later snuck out by an inmate who was released before him. Mandela’s cell was smaller than most bathrooms and equipped with blankets, a pillow and a box. No bed, no cushion, no toilet.
After the ferry ride back, we continued our Cape Town tour to the Cape of Good Hope. This is where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet. It offered incredible views from the lighthouse only a short hike up. We then went and visited a penguin colony before checking into our Bed and Breakfast. Cute penguins on a serene beach is always a nice end to your day.
They took us out to eat at an awesome burger place called Hudson’s. Afterwards, we were all extremely exhausted and called it a night. I got to have my own room since Molly backed out of the trip at the last minute to go to Mozambique. I took a loooong bath (since all I have at Annie’s is a shoebox of a shower) and went to bed on clean sheets. Nothing better.
No comments:
Post a Comment