Robben Island

Located just off the coast in Cape Town there is an island that holds a lot of meaning to the history of South Africa. Many years before the country was created many sailors landed there and started making a life; they think that the oldest civilization can date back to the Egyptians setting there. There was time after that the island was abandoned and used to house people who had leprosy; banned from all other life they died on the island. It is said that over 2,000 people died and were buried on the island. Their graves now sit under buildings that were built years later. But to South Africans the island holds a whole different meaning. To South Africans the island is a sign of the struggle with political indifferences. People who went against what the politics were at the time, rebelled and were sent to jail on this island.

As the group of 18 of us boarded the ferry to the island the weather was casting a dreary sense around us. The clouds and fog were so dense that we could barely see the dolphins that swam right next to the ferry. While we were the only 18 crazy Americans with shorts on, the day was going to be a good one.

Arriving on the Island we boarded a bus to tour the island. While the island has very few inhabitants now, the guides and guards still live on the island with a working post office there is not much else civilization for the people. The history though makes it all worth it.

We bused around the island for about 1 ½ seeing the different areas that people who were jailed worked in. Limestone was mined on the island and for years the protective gear was unavailable for the workers. So many of them suffered from breathing in the harsh chemicals and the light that reflected off the limestone damaged their eyes. Mr. Nelson Mandela was one of those people who were greatly affected by this.

Mandela was jailed on the island for over 10 years. He lived in a very small cell and was only allowed out during the working times. He of course is the sung hero of all of the political developments of the country. After he was released Mandela became President of the country, long before the island even closed.

Today the people who visit the country of course go to see where Mr. Mandela spent so many years of his life, but there are many unsung hero that have a story on the island. This is just one of many areas in Africa that tell so much about the past of what people went through during political indifferences of the country.

For me Robben Island was one of my favorite places we have been to. As a Social Studies major this was right up my alley, but like Sean and I were talking about how can I enjoy something so much that was so wrong and so painful for others. But I told him that it’s all about learning about the past and continuing for a better future.